Friends
by Thomas Mc
Summary: On a camping trip with their parents, Madison Cotton 10 and her brother Desmond 8 dare to invade the forbidden property north of the stone wall looking for adventure. They get more than they bargained for.
1. A Weekend In The Woods

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter 1: ****A Weekend In The Woods**

**Spring 2024**

Terry and Tonya Cotton sat on the ground in front of the campfire. They were happily wrapped in each other's arms as they smiled indulgently while watching their daughter, Madison, and son, Desmond, chasing each other through the Connecticut trees. They had both been avid campers since before they met and their children also loved the out-of-doors. This weekend was also their twelfth anniversary. Terry was hoping that once the children were asleep tonight, he and Tonya would slip into the woods for a very special celebration of their own. The thought reminded him of the first time they had done it thirteen years ago as teenagers on a church group campout. He had already scouted out a perfect spot for what he had planned.

Terry thought that he would have to remember to tell Carlton, his friend from work, how much he and Tonya appreciated being allowed to camp out on his land over the long holiday weekend. The only stipulation Carlton had made to their use of the land was that they were not to cross the wall that marked the northern property boundary. Despite the temptation of the beautiful lake that they could catch an occasional tantalizing glimpse of through the trees, that land was absolutely off limits. That adjacent property belonged to a very private individual that did not tolerate trespassers.

There were also some disturbing rumors about the owner having large dangerous animals on the property. At least that's what some of the people they met in the small town eight miles to the south claimed. Terry didn't really believe those stories. The local law officer had told a worried Tanya that he had been out to that property twice and not seen any signs of any such creatures.

Terry and Tonya had taken a stroll along that wall earlier and it had not looked particularly formidable or forbidding. In fact it had looked quite picturesque in that forest setting. The stone wall itself was about four feet high and a foot and a half thick. A four foot high split rail fence ran along the top of the stone wall. It was a rather unusual configuration, and no real barrier to anyone who wanted to cross it, but it blended quite well with the surrounding terrain. There were no warning signs on the wall itself but when he had looked over it he saw rather tastefully rustic looking wooden signs located eight feet from the wall and spread about forty feet apart, warning against trespassers. All very understated but impossible to miss.

Terry pulled Tonya in close as his mind again returned to his plans for later tonight.

~ o ~

Desmond, who had just turned nine last week, and his older sister, Madison now ten and a half, were playing tag among the trees when they came upon the stone wall. Desmond climbed up on the wall and began moving quickly along the top of it holding onto the fence to avoid falling over.

Madison climbed up on the wall and had started chasing him when they both heard a distant sound of laughter. There was a happy musical, almost magical, quality about it that made them both smile. Then they were both startled by the distinct sound of a lion's roar. As they looked at each other in surprise they again heard the same musical laughter. A couple of minutes later they heard the roar again followed shortly by a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a squeal, all coming from that same direction. A few seconds later they again heard the magical laughter but this time it was cut sort. Desmond glanced at his sister as if asking for an explanation. She shrugged, shaking her head.

They became aware of their mother's voice calling them in for dinner. Reluctantly they climbed down and headed back towards where their camp was located. Madison kept glancing curiously back at the stone wall. There was something tantalizing, almost fairytale like, about the forbidden forest beyond that wall and those sounds they had both heard.

Soon after getting back to their camp they were roasting hotdogs over the open campfire and engaging in the usual campfire chatter. For Madison, there was something so special about eating hotdogs beside the campfire where they had just been roasted. They just tasted so much better this way, especially when they included chili warmed in its can by the fire and fresh cheese that Mother had grated less than an hour ago. A dash of ketchup and mustard perfectly completed this very special delicacy.

Before long the hotdogs had been consumed and they were soon telling the usual round of scary campfire stories while roasting marshmallows. All the while Madison continued to wonder about those sounds that she and her brother had heard coming from the forbidden forest beyond that unusual stone wall.

~ o ~

Linda Chandler-Wells dove off the little floating dock located in the middle of the small scenic lake, her trim form slicing cleanly into the water. A few seconds later she surfaced about fifty-five feet out and looked back at the other figure lounging on the dock. "Come on in, the water's fine." She called back.

Jacob gazed out at his wife, who was slowly drifting further away from the floating dock. "No thanks, I like it right here in the sun." He remarked with a chuckle. He could feel her sense of _teasing playfulness _as well as her reaction to the coolness of the water. Her musical laughter floated across the lake, making him smile. He had loved the sound of her laughter since they first met at ten years old and he could never get enough of hearing it.

"Awe, come on . The water is warm." She cajoled as she shivered while feeling his _amusement_ over their link.

He knew she was feeding him a line. You couldn't really lie to someone that could feel your every emotion. "But the sun is so much warmer." He shot back. He could now sense a streak of _mischievousness_ growing in her and knew that she had a scathing retort ready to fire back. He chuckled. The next comment was bound to be a dare.

"What's a matter? Poor little kitty cat afraid of the water?" She taunted as she increased the rate at which she was receding from the dock.

That did it. Jacob sprang to his feet. "I'll show you who's afraid of the water." With a roar of defiance, he leaped off the dock and hit the water with a very large splash.

With a sound halfway between a laugh and a squawk, Linda dived under and shot toward shore. With powerful strokes, Jacob took out after her. Though he was far stronger and normally faster than her, he couldn't quite close the distance between them. In the water for short distances, she had the advantage. At least until raw endurance became a factor. What he was doing with sheer power, she accomplished with slender streamlining and graceful economy of movement.

Linda reached the shore and ran up the beach giggling. Jacob came splashing out of the water behind her. Now he was in his element and the distance between them quickly closed. Linda dodged, laughing, as he overshot her and swerved around sending sand flying everywhere. Halfway to the house he caught her and, with another roar of triumph from him and a laughing shriek from her, they both went down. She laughed as they rolled and he ended up on top. Then her laughter cut short as he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss.

Moments later he scooped her up into his arms and stood up. "To the victor go the spoils, you're mine now," he growled at her his eyes on fire with passion.

She laughed with delight and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Forever, my love."

He headed off towards the lake house with his captured treasure.

~ o ~

The two hungry lions, hidden in the tall grass, were slowly creeping forward. They looked at each other then they split up, one heading to the right, the other to the left. Ahead was the great oak tree where the two they were stalking had taken refuge.

Caroline and Sharon were up in the old tree fort where they had decided to make their stand against the two creatures that were stalking them. The two girls were carefully scanning the terrain around them, their guns at the ready. Suddenly Sharon fired her gun but there was no reaction from where she hit. "Shoot, I was sure I saw one of them."

Then Caroline fired and cried out. "Got it!" as one of the lions jerked up and collapsed to the ground it's side stained blood red.

Sharon swung around to see. At that moment the second lion leaped up, caught a branch, swung up into the old tree fort and then, with a roar, pounced on the two girls from behind. Both girls went down squealing under the lion's claws.

"Gotcha!" Devin declared, victoriously.

"Damn!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Awe rats!" Sharon responded.

"How the heck did you see me?" Michael demanded as he landed in the fort and glanced ruefully at the bloody looking stain on his side.

"I saw the grass moving and took a chance." Caroline replied as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Devin assisted Sharon to her feet. She in turn handed Michael a damp towel and he wiped at the stain left by the paintball. It turned out to be a bit of work to get the red die out of his fur. The two girls set the safeties on their paintball guns and placed them off to the side. Caroline grabbed a water bottle and poured a bit over the red stain to help. "Gonna take soap and water to get this out." She commented, observing his lack of success.

Devin and Michael both glanced over in the direction of the house simultaneously as they pulled off the goggles they had been wearing. "What is it?" Sharon and Caroline both asked, also simultaneously, in response to their brothers' sudden alertness.

"Mom and Dad are playing again." Michael answered.

Both girls giggled. They didn't have to have their brother's empathic sense or superior hearing to know what that meant. Caroline dragged out the wicker basket and the four of them dug into their picnic lunch. While they ate lunch, the four children began negotiating the rules for the next round of their game. It would have to be short because the sun was already getting low in the sky.

~ o ~

Once their children were asleep, Terry and Tonya took a blanket and a bottle of sweet desert wine and slipped off to the small clearing that he had earlier identified. There they drank the wine directly from the bottle, laughed at themselves and made love under the stars, just like they had that first time as teenagers. Only now there was none of that first time nervousness and awkwardness.

Twice they joined together and reached that pinnacle of delight that all lovers seek. Afterward they lay together and stared up at the moon and stars, reveling in their beauty, while they regained their spent energies.

A few hours later they finished off the bottle of wine then quietly slipped back to their tent. With a quiet duet of, "Happy anniversary Love." They soon fell asleep in each other's arms.

~ o ~

That night Madison had dreamed of magical forests and fairy princesses. The next morning she awoke with those dreams still dancing in her mind. She crawled out of her tent, only to make the same discovery as the rest of her family. During the night a raccoon had managed to get into their cooler and made short work of their food supply. The family took a quick trip into town to pick up a few supplies. Terry also bought a new cooler with a more secure latch on it.

They ate breakfast in a local diner and again heard stories of the strange things that were supposed to have been seen and heard on the property north of their campground.

~ o ~

It was getting close to lunch time, and Madison and Desmond were again playing at the stone wall. Madison had her arms crossed, elbows resting on the top of the stone wall looking into the forest on the other side. Desmond was on top of the stone wall, leaning against the split rail fence and looking down at her. She felt drawn to that forbidden forest. To her it represented magic and adventure. As she gazed into the forest, she caught a glimpse of sunlight reflecting off water through the trees.

She looked up at her little brother. "Hey Des, wanna go swimming in the lake?"

"We aren't 'spose ta go over there." Desmond objected.

"Aw, no one'll know. I heard that the people that own it are hardly ever there."

"I heard there's a monster in those woods." He glanced nervously, over his shoulder, into the woods on the other side of the wall. "It lives near that lake and eats anyone that wanders onto their land." He again glanced nervously in that direction. "Several of the kids in town said so. You heard those sounds yesterday before lunch."

"What's a matter? Scared of the terrible forest monster?" Madison taunted mockingly. "There's no such thing. It's just a silly story."

"How do you know?" He demanded.

"I'm almos' ten and a half. I know these things." She puffed up and tried to look more mature. "Besides, I heard what the sheriff guy told Mom." Madison shook her head. "He said there weren't any monsters over there. You're just a scaredycat."

"Am not!" He objected.

"Are too!" / "Am not!" / "Are too!" / "Am not!"

"Prove it. I dare you." Madison challenged Desmond.

"I'll show you who's afraid." Desmond shot back, slipping through the wooden fence and jumping off the wall onto the other side. Madison quickly clambered over the wall to join her brother.

Now that they were both on the forbidden side of the stone wall, Madison was feeling just a bit less sure of herself. After a moment to screw up her courage, she headed into the woods, followed closely by her brother. Stealthily the two children made their way through the woods until they reached edge of the forest by the lake. Madison peered out from the shelter of the trees but there was no one in sight. Cautiously she edged out onto the beach and up to the lake, followed by Desmond.

She looked around then relaxed. "See, I told ya. There's no one around." She kicked off her shoes and waded out into the lake. After a few seconds Desmond shed his shoes and shirt then followed her in. They were soon splashing and playing like any normal kids.

After a while they waded out of the lake and settled onto the small wooden deck that surrounded a stone fire-pit located close to the water's edge. Soon both children were dozing as they soaked up the warming sun.

Madison was startled to wakefulness by the sound of voices. She sat up and, guiltily looked around, then she froze in surprise and fear as she found herself staring at something straight out of a fantasy.

_**Continued in Part 2**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	2. Unexpected Meeting

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter ****2 : Unexpected Meeting**

Sharon and her brother Michael had been collecting wood for the lakeside beach fire-pit. Her other siblings, Devin and Caroline, had gone the other direction on a similar mission. Mom and Dad were inside the lake-house, probably doing mushy grownup stuff. As she and Michael were approaching the lake fire-pit carrying the bundles of dried wood, they were deep in a discussion that consisted mostly of "Yes you did." and "No I didn't."

They both came to a startled halt as, first Michael then Sharon spotted the young girl sitting up next to the fire-pit and staring back at them. Then the girl reached out and shook the other form on the deck next to her and a boy sat up, glanced around and was soon also staring back at them. Michael could clearly sense a combination of _surprise, guilt_ and _fear _coming from both of them. For several seconds they all remained frozen staring at each other.

Unseen, Devin and Caroline, also carrying loads of firewood, had both reached the edge of the woods behind the two unknown children. Devin had sensed the two strangers and stopped just before entering the clearing. Caroline glanced over at Michael and Sharon, then back at the two unknown children. This was not good. Those two children had seen Michael. He didn't even have a shirt on to hide his furry torso.

Caroline turned to Devin and whispered. "Quick, scan the area. Make sure there are no others around."

Devin replied just as quietly. "I already have. Those two are the only others around."

"Good, stay out of sight. They've already seen too much."

Devin rolled his eyes. "I know what to do."

Out on the beach, Sharon, finally shook herself out of her stunned state, then she turned and smacked Michael on the arm. "Why didn't you notice?" She asked him accusingly.

"Hey." Michael shook himself out of his surprise and glanced at his sister. "You distracted me."

Keeping her eye on the strangers, Sharon slowly set her bundle on the ground and whispered to Michael. "Don't scare them." She cautiously approached the two unknown children on the deck. She raised her voice. "What are you doing here?"

Desmond edged closer to his sister. Madison continued to stare at the strange creature that looked like he was half boy and half lion. Neither had the presence of mind to respond to the girl that was approaching them. Both children were feeling guilty and afraid as they remembered some of the more lurid stories they had heard in town.

While Devin remained hidden in the woods, Caroline approached the deck from behind the two strangers. When she was halfway to the fire-pit, she started circling around until she was in the two stranger's line of sight then spoke. "Who are you? Why are you on our land?"

Madison was surprised when a second girl appeared to her left and tried to split her attention between the second girl and the creature. She finally managed to squeak out. "We didn't mean nothin'. We just wanted to see the lake." She put her arm protectively around her brother. "Please don't let it eat us." She pleaded desperately as she continued to stare at the creature.

Michael crossed his arms and snorted in disgust.

Caroline slowly approached. "Don't be afraid. He won't hurt you, but you're not supposed to be here."

Madison continued to stare at the lion-boy creature standing there with his arms crossed. "Are . . . are you sure he won't hurt us?" She thought about the roaring sounds she had heard yesterday and shivered.

By now Sharon and Caroline were both standing at the edge of the deck. Caroline as the oldest took control of the situation. "Of course." She spoke reassuringly to the two children. "Michael would never hurt you." She raised her voice slightly. "Would you, Michael?"

"Of course not." Michael responded indignantly.

Madison was surprised and amazed. It could talk.

Caroline again spoke up. "You need to leave right now before you get into trouble."

Michael could sense the girl's _fear_ fading and decided to try to move a bit closer.

Caroline continued. "Where did you come from?"

Keeping her eyes on Michael, Madison pointed to the south. We're camped out over that way . . . past the wall."

Michael spoke up. "We had better take you back where you belong." He glanced up at the sky. "It's close to lunch time. People will be looking for you"

Madison felt a tiny spurt of apprehension at the mention of lunch. Mom and Dad would be looking for them. She and Desmond hurriedly put on their shoes, all the while glancing worriedly at Michael. Very soon they were all headed back through the woods towards the south wall. As they walked along in silence Desmond clung to his sister while she kept glancing over at Michael. Michael had taken up position on the other side of Caroline from Madison. And Sharon was walking next to Desmond. Neither of the two intruder children was aware that Devin was following them at a discrete distance.

~ o ~

Jacob and Linda had been sitting together on the love seat in the sunroom at the back of the house. He was reading an old science fiction book by a Doctor Edward E. Smith to her when he stopped reading and looked up. She could feel the _unease_ in him through their bond as well as see it in his eyes.

"What is it, Jacob?" She looked at him concerned.

"I'm not sure. Something has disturbed the kids." There was no sense of danger from them so he didn't think it could be too serious. He looked over at Linda with a half grin and a shrug. "A disturbance in the force." He closed the book. "They're defiantly worried about something though. Maybe I'd better check it out." He stood up and headed toward the front of the house.

As he reached the large bay window, in the front of the house, he caught a glimpse of Michael, Caroline, Sharon and what looked like two unknown young children, disappearing into the woods on the south side of the lake near the fire-pit.

He didn't see, but he could sense, Devin in the woods near where the group had disappeared. He turned to Linda. "It looks like they caught a couple of intruders but I don't know why Michael allowed himself to be seen."

"I'm sure they have a good reason, dear. They're not feeling endangered are they?" Jacob shook his head. "Then I'm sure everything is OK and they'll tell us what happened when they get back."

~ o ~

As they were walking through the woods, Caroline finally broke the silence. "My name is Caroline." She pointed at Sharon. "This is my sister, Sharon." She smiled at Madison. "What are your names?"

Madison dragged her attention away from the creature, they had called him Michael, to respond. "Um, my name is Madison, Desmond is my brother." She glanced back at the creature. "Ah, um, what . . . what is he?"

Michael glanced over at her. "I'm Michael, that's what I am."

"Oh, he's just my little brother." Caroline responded.

"Your brother?" Madison remarked in surprise.

"Yea, I know he looks a bit different but he's really not so bad, as brother's go." Caroline remarked, giving Michael a nudge in the ribs.

Sharon spoke up. "Where are you from?"

Desmond finally spoke. "We live in New York."

"So do we." Sharon blurted out brightly.

"Sharon!" Caroline admonished her, glaring at her sister.

"Well I didn't say where in New York." Sharon defended herself.

"Actually we live in upper Manhattan." Madison added. Then she looked at Michael. "You know you kinda look a lot like the stories I've heard about the Creature of Central Park," She looked uncertain as she scanned him up and down. ". . . only you're not as big as the stories say."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Now see what you've done."

"Hey I can't help it if I look like Dad." Michael retorted in self defense.

"Michael!" Caroline exclaimed.

Madison's eyes got wide as her mind leaped to a conclusion. "Your **dad** is the Creature?"

Michael scrunched up his shoulders. "Oops, I wasn't s'pose to say that." He glanced contritely at Caroline. "Sorry."

Desmond was glancing back and forth between his sister and the lion-boy as comprehension dawned.

~ o ~

Following unobserved behind them, Devin was listening to their conversation and shaking his head. This was getting out of hand but there was nothing he could do about it. Father would not be happy when he heard what had happened. He knew that his father was already aware that something unusual was going on and could already feel his _concern_ and growing_ curiosity_. The worst part was that once Father knew what had happened, he would probably cut their vacation short and keep them all in the lake house for the rest of the day. It looked like lunch around the campfire was out and they would be heading back home tonight.

By now the _fear _within the two intruders had completely disappeared and had been replaced by a combination of _wonder_ and _curiosity_. That could generate questions that would be even more destructive than the fear. As he watched them he noticed that the girl, Madison, had shifted position and was now walking next to Michael.

~ o ~

Madison kept staring at Michael and he could feel the _curiosity_ building in her. Finally she couldn't hold it back and asked. "So , ah . . . What exactly are you?" She glanced down a moment then back at him. "Are you an alien or something."

Caroline rolled her eyes as Sharon giggled.

Michael glanced back at Madison a moment. "Or something." He shrugged and grinned. "Dad always says 'I am what I am'." Again he shrugged. "I'm just me."

"Here we are." Caroline announced as they approached the wall. They stopped and she took Madison's and Desmond's hands in hers. "You know, Michael and Dad are a secret. You can't tell anyone about them. 'Sides no one will believe you if you do."

Madison glanced at each of them. "OK. We won't tell anyone." She looked at her brother. "Right Des?"

Desmond looked at Michael then at his sister and nodded his head. "Uh, hu."

Caroline glanced at Michael and he nodded in the affirmative. They meant it, at least for now.

Michael helped both of them climb over the wall and watched as they both headed back to their parents. Devin came up to join his siblings just as Madison and Desmond disappeared into the woods south of the wall. At that moment they clearly heard a distant woman's voice calling, "Madison, Desmond, lunchtime."

"We'd better get back and tell mom and dad what happened." Devin told them. The other three all groaned. They knew what that meant. It looked like their little vacation was over.

~ o ~

As soon as they got back to the lake house, the four children explained to their parents what had happened.

Michael ended with an apology. "I'm sorry father, I should have been scanning more carefully."

Jacob shook his head. "It's not your fault. You had no reason to expect intruders, and you can't be expected to keep your guard up constantly all day long. Besides I know how it is with sisters." He gave Sharon a half smile as he remembered a few engrossing, and sometimes heated, discussions with his own sisters.

Jacob got on the phone and made a couple of calls. After he was done he faced his family. "OK, everything's set. They will be here around dinnertime and we'll leave as soon as it's dark." He shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders. "I know how disappointed you all are but we just can't take a chance."

Devin spoke for the rest of his siblings. "It's OK dad, we understand."

Linda spoke up. "Looks like hotdogs at the lake is canceled so I had better heat up the stove." She turned and headed into the kitchen.

~ o ~

While they were eating lunch, Terry and Tonya noticed that both their children seemed unusually subdued. Finally Terry asked. "So what have you two been doing all morning?" Both children looked at him startled and he could swear there was a hint of guilt in their eyes.

Desmond looked at his sister as she responded. "We were just playing over by the wall."

"You both know better than to cross that wall, don't you?" He asked looking closely at both his children.

"We know that, Daddy." Madison responded.

There was no doubt about it. He was sure that his children had crossed that wall. And judging by their reactions, what they had encountered over on the neighbor's property had definitely left an impression on them both.

He thought maybe it was time to change the subject. "You both remember what we have planned for this afternoon."

Desmond immediately brightened but Madison still looked a bit pensive. Tonight after dinner Terry figured that he would have a long talk with her and find out just exactly what had happened to them over beyond that wall. For now, however, they would just finish lunch and enjoy the afternoon.

_**Continued in Part 3**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	3. Disaster

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter ****3 : Disaster**

Terry quickly checked over their equipment a second time, better safe than sorry, then he looked at the main reason why his family had chosen this particular location for their camping trip. At the base of the rocky hill he was currently looking at, there was a small opening partially sheltered under a large stone outcropping. Through that small opening, was a rather unremarkable tunnel that sloped downward into that hill for about a couple of hundred feet. Then, according to his friend Carlton, it opened up into a beautifully spectacular series of caverns.

Being a family of avid spelunkers, they just couldn't pass up a chance to explore such a pristine cave system. They had been planning on this trip for the last several months and hoped to spend most of the next three days underground. That's how long Carlton said it would take to see the accessible parts of the cave system.

The opening was only about three and a half feet wide and not quite five feet high, but the tunnel beyond was easily large enough for a man to walk upright. Outside, about ten feet from the mouth of the cave Terry planted the brightly colored flag that marked the location of the entrance and alerted anyone that saw it that there were people inside the cave. Next he checked the settings on the emergency beacon. It was a standard piece of equipment for any serious spelunker. It was now 2:45 pm. If it was not turned off by 8:00 pm, it would start transmitting a distress signal, alerting the authorities that something had happened to those that had entered the cave below the beacon.

Madison spoke up at this point. "I'll set it out Daddy."

He handed the beacon to his daughter. "OK honey, you know what to do?"

"Uh huh, go to the top of the hill, drive the spike into the ground, and make sure the set light is on."

"Good girl. You go ahead and we'll meet you inside."

Madison set her backpack aside and started up the hill while the rest of the family headed inside. Ten feet inside the cave, they stopped and Terry began setting up each of their inertial navigator units. Another standard tool for the serious spelunker. Each of them carried one. The devices would keep a record of their movements and provide a 'ball-of-twine' style indication to lead them back to this spot if they got lost.

~ o ~

Madison carefully drove the emergency beacon's spike into the ground then gave the top of it a few whacks with her rock hammer to insure that it was firmly planted in the hard ground. Then she made sure that the green 'set' light was on. She also double checked the timer settings for good measure. Daddy always said to check, double check and triple check everything.

Everything was as it should be so she turned and headed back down the hill. The hill was very rocky with lots of large loose stones and about halfway down the hill a stone shifted under her foot causing her to lose her footing. She ended up rolling and sliding the rest of the way down the hill among a lot of loose stones.

~ o ~

Terry stood near the opening, examining a mineral vein in the tunnel wall and pointing it out to Desmond. He looked up in surprise when he heard a sound every cave explorer fears, then his gaze swung to the cave mouth to see several stones falling across the opening.

"Terry?" Tonya called out as she looked at him, and the opening just beyond him, fearfully.

Reacting quickly, Terry wrapped his arms around his son and dived away from the opening just as a loud crack echoed through the tunnel. His foot caught on a ridge in the tunnel floor and he tried twisting to protect his son. He ended up crashing headlong into the rock wall right next to his wife.

At that same instant Madison's weight landed on the apparently solid rock outcropping and a hidden fracture located three inches under the sloped ground gave way with a loud crack. The rock outcropping swung down covering the mouth of the tunnel. Meanwhile more lose rocks continued to role down the hill half covering Madison and the collapsed slab.

Inside the tunnel it was pitch dark as Tonya called out her husband's name but he didn't answer. Desmond was scared and crying. With an effort, Tonya fought down her momentary panic, then found and turned on her lantern. Terry was laying unconscious next to her with Desmond still clutched in his arms. She quickly checked over Terry. He was breathing but there was a nasty cut and lump on his scalp and he was out cold. Otherwise he seemed to be OK. She turned her attention to calming and comforting her son. Meanwhile she periodically called out for Madison without getting any response.

~ o ~

Madison became aware of bumps and bruises all over her body. She was weighed down and was having difficulty moving. She could feel the rocks around her shifting as she moved and started trying to extricate herself from her predicament.

With a great deal of painful and determined maneuvering, she was able to wriggle herself free of the rocks that had nearly buried her. It took her a minute to calm and orient herself then she started trying to move the rocks away from where the opening should be. Tears were soon blurring her vision as she continued shifting rocks and calling out, in vain, for her parents.

Finally she realized that she was not getting very far. More rocks were shifting in to replace those she removed and many of the rocks were simply too big for her to move. She needed help. She was beginning to feel the edge of panic when she remembered Michael. He had seemed awfully strong when he lifted her over the wall. He could help her.

~ o ~

Terry groaned. Tanya checked him over. He was dazed and only semi-conscious but he was alive. Tanya quickly took stock of their situation. They were alive, they had plenty of supplies, the beacon should bring help by nightfall, and the rest of the tunnel appeared stable. The only unknown was still her daughter. Where was Madison? Was she OK?

She couldn't do anything about Madison now except worry, which she was already doing plenty of. She decided to put her energy into cleaning up her husband's head wound and then keeping Desmond from fretting too much. God, she hoped Madison was OK.

~ o ~

Jacob suddenly became alert. A moment later Devin and Michael also became alert. "Someone is approaching." Jacob announced.

They all looked at each other nervously. A few moment's later they all three sensed _fear_ and _urgency_. Then there was a pounding on the front door. A voice called out. "Hello. Anybody in there?" The voice sounded female. Then the door knob was jiggled followed by more pounding.

They continued to stare at each other, momentarily frozen by worry and indecision. Who was it and what did they want? Had someone come to investigate whatever it was that those two children might have reported?

The pounding on the door continued as the voice again called out. "Michael, are you in there? Mommy and Daddy and Des are trapped and I can't reach them. Please, I need help." That galvanized Michael, Caroline and Sharon as they ran to the door, followed a half heartbeat later by the rest of the family. Michael reached the front door first.

The door opened about halfway. Michael was standing in the door with Sharon and Caroline standing slightly behind him. "Madison, what happened?" He asked as they took in Madison's dirty, scratched and bruised appearance.

"It's terrible." She sniffed, trying hard to hold back the tears. "A bunch of rocks broke loose and covered the cave. Everyone was inside. I was the only one outside when it happened."

The door swung the rest of the way open and Madison found herself staring, open mouthed, up at a giant lion-man standing behind Michael. "Where did this happen?" The giant lion-man demanded as he took in the young girl's condition.

Madison opened her mouth twice but nothing came out. After a moment's hesitation, she swallowed and finally managed to squeak out. "Other side . . ." She stopped and got her voice under control. "Other side of the wall, near our camp."

Michael glanced quickly back at his father, got his _reassurance_, then stepped up to Madison. "Take us there."

After a moment's hesitation Madison took off, running, with Michael, Devin and Jacob hot on her heels. Caroline and Sharon were right behind them. Linda delayed just long enough to grab the first aid kit and then took off after the rest.

At the wall Madison paused to get her breath. With a start, she noticed Devin for the first time. "Who? . . ." She stared at Devin as she continued to breath hard.

That's my other brother, Devin." Caroline replied.

Michael jumped up onto the wall and reached down. "Madison, take my hand!" He instructed her. She reached up and with one fluid motion he lifted her up onto the top of the wall. She slipped through the fence and dropped down on the other side. Within in a few seconds the rest had joined her and they were again running toward her campsite.

~ o ~

Tonya thought she had heard her daughter's voice and called out for her, but there was no response. Terry groaned again and his eyes fluttered open. Tonya quickly switched her attention to her husband. She checked his pupils looking for signs of a concussion. When both pupils responded to the light, she sighed with relief. His brains may be rattled but, based on her limited understanding of first aid, it looked like he was going to be OK.

She again checked Desmond over, mostly to reassure him and herself. He was scared and very worried about both his sister and his father, but he was holding up otherwise.

Tonya got up and went over to where the opening had been to examine the situation. A large flat piece of stone covered most of the opening. The rest of it was filled in with various sizes of rocks. She put her shoulder against the slab and gave it an experimental shove. It didn't budge. She tried to shift some of the smaller rocks around it. Again nothing. There was no way she was going to be able to clear that opening. The large slab was too big and the smaller rocks were wedged in tight.

She again called out for her daughter and again there was no response. She could only worry about Madison and pray that she was alright. Finally Tonya went back to join her son and husband. All they could do now was wait and hope.

~ o ~

Madison skidded to a halt next to the buried opening. "They're in there." There were tears in her eyes. "It's all my fault. I slipped on the hill and the rocks fell down."

Linda put her arms around Madison to comfort her. "It's alright, dear. It's no one's fault. It was just an accident. We'll dig them out in no time." She looked at Jacob and he nodded his reassurance.

"I can sense the three of them in there. They're all three alive." Jacob studied the problem for a moment then addressed his sons. "You two help me move this rubble out of the way, but be careful. Start at the top and work your way downward." They stepped in and began to shift the larger rocks out of the way.

Madison watched in open mouthed amazement as even the two boys easily lifted rocks that she couldn't even budge. In a matter of minutes they had cleared most of the rubble away. All they had left was the large rock slab.

~ o ~

About an hour after the rock slide, Tonya heard the sound of rocks being moved and soon shafts of sunlight were coming through the spaces around the large slab. Then an incredibly sexy masculine voice called from beyond the opening. "Hello! Can you hear me? Is everyone OK?"

A wave of relief rushed through her as she called out. "Yes, we're here. My husband banged his head, but we're alright. Is my daughter out there? Is she OK?"

Madison's voice answered. "I'm here Mommy. I'm OK."

Desmond started towards the opening and Tonya grabbed his arm. "No honey. Stay back until they get it cleared."

The sexy male voice returned. "Hang in there and stay well back from the opening. We'll get it cleared as fast as we can."

Tonya drew her son down beside her husband and herself and wrapped her arms around them both. "It won't be long now. They'll probably have to bring up a truck to move that big slab." She kissed each of them. "Madison's OK and we'll all be back together soon." To herself she was wondering where her daughter had managed to get help so quickly.

~ o ~

It took another ten minutes to clear the last of the smaller stones away until only the large slab was left. Jacob stepped up to the rock slab and, working his claws around the edges, gave it an experimental heave. Then he stepped back and glanced at those around him. "We're going to need a rope or a chain."

Madison suddenly looked up in surprise. "My backpack." She looked around then ran over to the bush, where she had left it when she had gone up the hill to plant the beacon, and dug into it. She came back with her backpack in one hand and, in the other hand, a length of climbing rope with a folding grappling hook attached to the end.

"That's perfect young lady." Jacob took the rope, laid it out on the ground and across the shortest cross section of the flat rock slab. Then he wedged the hook under the edge of the rock and checked to be sure it was solidly held. Next he worked his claws under the edge of the rock on each side of the hook. "Devin, Michael, I need your help here. You girls grab the end of that rope."

Devin and Michael took up positions on either side of Jacob and dug their claws under the edge of the slab. Linda, Sharon, Caroline and Madison, each grabbed hold of the rope. "On the count of three, everyone pull with all your strength." Jacob glanced at them as they nodded. "OK, here we go. One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Heave!"

Every one there strained their muscles to the maximum and several groans escaped as the slab slowly tilted up on its side. As it reached a forty-five degree angle, Jacob gave it his last ounce of strength and it suddenly flipped over, landing beside the opening with a thud and a cloud of dust. The girls all collapsed on their butts from the sudden release of tension. Jacob sat down hard, his energy completely drained. Michael and Devin had both landed face down across the large slab.

Madison jumped up and rushed forward into the tunnel opening. Belatedly Jacob reached out. "Wait!" But it was a futile effort. Madison was already through the opening and Michael was following right behind her.

Momentarily blind in the dark tunnel interior she called out as she stumbled toward the dim light of the lantern. "Mommy, Daddy." Then as her eyes adjusted she saw them beside the lighted lantern at the same instant Tonya replied, "We're right here, honey."

As Madison and Michael rushed up to them, Terry and Tonya had at first only seen dark silhouettes against the bright light streaming in from the opening. Then as the figures entered the circle of light from the lantern, the dark outlines resolved themselves into Madison and . . . something else.

Madison came to her knees in front of her family touching them to reassure herself. Michael had rushed up and stopped right next to her fidgeting nervously. Two seconds later, Linda came up behind the two children carrying the first aid kit. She stepped around Michael and Madison and knelt down next to Tonya and Terry. Desmond threw his arms around Madison, happy to see her again. Tonya and Terry just stared at the apparition standing before them, with it's very dangerous looking furry clawed hand resting on their daughters shoulder.

_**Continued in Part 4**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	4. Strange Encounters

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****4 : ****Strange Encounters**

Tonya and Terry stared up at the creature, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. Standing next to Madison was something that looked like a cross between a lion and a human. Madison, Desmond, and the woman that had followed Madison into the tunnel seemed to be totally unaware of the creature's strange appearance. The woman had simply stepped around the creature and knelt down next to Tonya and Terry.

Linda immediately began carefully checking all three of them for injuries. All the while Terry and Tonya kept glancing nervously at the creature that appeared to be quietly reassuring their children that everything would be OK now. Desmond was looking to it for reassurance and Madison was actually leaning into the creature for comfort as it stroked her shoulder reassuringly with its 'clawed!' hand.

After a quick examination Linda announced her conclusions. "With the exception of a mild concussion, you don't seem to be too badly hurt, but we should get all of you to the hospital in town as soon as possible." She touched Terry's shoulder to get his attention. "Can you walk?"

After a moment, Terry finally responded. "Ah, I think so." He couldn't take his eyes off the creature that now had its clawed hands resting on the shoulders of both his children.

The creature spoke. "Madison, Desmond, let's go outside so that our mom's will have room to help your father out."

As the two women helped Terry to his wobbly feet his children exited the tunnel, followed closely by that creature. "Where is your car?" Linda asked as they started towards the tunnel opening.

"It's over by Carlton's cabin." Tonya replied distractedly as she watched the unbelievable creature herd her children out of the tunnel. "Uh, the keys are under the seat." She added as an afterthought, still staring at the trio as they passed trough the opening.

Terry became dizzy and his legs almost gave out on him. Both women had to shift their holds on him to help him stay upright. Linda called out. "Jacob, dear, will you go fetch their car? It's over by the cabin and the keys are under the seat."

As they approached the opening, Linda again spoke. "OK it's a bit low here. Take it easy and watch his head."

They were momentarily blinded as they came out into the afternoon sunlight. The first thing that Terry and Tonya noticed as their eyes adjusted to the light was the second slightly larger version of the creature standing with the first one beside their children. Then they became aware of the other two girls beside them.

Terry was beginning to wonder if he had hit his head harder than he thought. Linda glanced at both of their faces then shook her head. "No you're not seeing things. Both of them are real." She glanced around. "Let's set him down over here." The two women eased Terry onto one end of the large broken stone slab. Tonya glanced around and wondered how they had managed to move that stone slab without the help of a truck.

At that point everyone's attention was drawn to the Land-Rover that was rapidly approaching them. The first thing that went through Tonya's mind was that, whoever Jacob was, he must have run nearly as fast as the vehicle was now moving to have gotten back this quickly. She tried to see the driver but, between the window tinting and the reflected sunlight, she was unable to see inside. Their vehicle pulled up about ten feet from them and, engine still running, the drivers door opened.

Two mouths fell open and Tonya and Terry stared in stunned surprise as a massive version of the two young creatures unfolded from the driver side door. Lion-man was as apt a description of him as anything. He was so magnificent and, with those very sharp looking claws, more than a bit frightening. He practically radiated a barely contained power. Tonya realized that his strength must be tremendous if he had been able to move that huge slab of rock.

It took several attempts before Linda's voice finally got through to them as she tried to get Tonya's attention. "Dear, are you up to driving to town?"

"Um, uh . . ." Tonya paused a moment to pull herself together and shift her attention to the woman. "Yea, I can drive . . . but I don't know where the hospital is."

"That's easy." Linda waved her arm in a southerly direction as she responded. "As soon as you reach the hi-way, head south. When you reach town, turn left on Revere Way. The hospital is in a two story building at the corner of Revere and Washington. You can't miss it." She put her arm back around Terry. "Jacob, dear, will you get the back door for us?"

Jacob opened the back driver side door as Linda and Tonya helped Terry into the back seat. Jacob spoke up. "You two kids run around and get into the car with your parents. I'm sure they want to take you two with them."

After Tonya climbed into the driver's seat, Jacob closed both doors as her two children climbed into the other side. With a quick glance to verify that everyone was secure, Tonya pulled away and was soon heading toward the hi-way.

As the SUV disappeared behind a stand of trees Jacob spoke. "Let's head back to the lake house and finish getting ready to leave." Jacob looked at his watch. "Nancy and Brigit will be here in three hours."

~ o ~

Tonya's mind kept running around in circles, struggling to make sense of today's events, as she headed down the hi-way towards the small town. What was that creature that they had encountered today? The woman had called him Jacob and . . . 'Dear'? And those two smaller ones! Children? Madison and Desmond hadn't even appeared to be surprised by them. This morning they had been playing by the wall. Is that where they came from? All those weird stories that they had heard from the people in town came flooding back to her mind.

Madison glanced up at her mother. "I never thought he was so **big**."

"Hu?" Tonya responded distractedly.

"The Central Park Creature." Madison reiterated. "I never thought he would be so big."

Tonya looked down at her daughter in surprise. "Why did you say that?" Her mind was suddenly filled with all the stories she had heard about that particular urban myth. She was startled by the bdrrrmm, bdrrrmm, bdrrrmm sound of the shoulder indicator ridges against the tires and suddenly jerked the wheel to the left to get back onto the road.

"Because he **is** so big." Madison replied.

After she got them back in their lane she addressed her daughter. "No, I mean why did you call him the Central Park Creature?"

"Well he is, isn't he? Michael said they live in New York. It's obvious."

In the back seat, Terry was hearing this and his mind was wandering through much of the same territory as his wife's. His daughter's remarks, at least, suggested that he hadn't been hallucinating back there . . . unless he was imagining his daughter's remarks as well. He shook his head and immediately regretted it as he groaned from the pain and dizziness that the action had brought on.

"Hang on honey, we're almost there. I can see the town ahead." Tonya called worriedly over her shoulder.

~ o ~

An hour and a half later, the doctor was talking to Tonya. "I stitched up that scalp wound. Terry has a minor concussion, nothing too serious, but I would like to keep him here for observation for a couple of hours, just to be sure. Then he is free to go home, but I highly recommend that he not engage in any strenuous activities for the next couple of days." He jotted a couple of notes on the clipboard he was holding. "We don't want to jostle his brains until he's had a chance to heal."

"Well, I guess that means no cave diving this week." Terry remarked, to the disappointed groans of his children.

Tonya gave a startled gasp. "The beacon!" She looked up in dismay. "The beacon is still set. I never turned it off." She glanced around at both children, who shook their heads indicating that they hadn't turned it off either. "The doctor wants you here for a while and the rest of the camping trip is a bust. I'll take the kids back to the camp site while you rest here. We can pack everything up and then we'll come right back and pick you up. We should be home by bed time."

"Probably the best thing to do." He sighed in resignation. He was just as disappointed as his children.

"We'll be back soon." Tonya leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Love you." She herded the kids out of the little room. Soon they were loaded into their vehicle and on their way back at the camp site.

Once back at the camp they quickly got busy packing everything up. Madison retrieved the Beacon from the top of the hill then stood up there and stared speculatively to the north. She couldn't help wondering what Michael and his family were doing now. She wondered if she would ever see any of them again. With a sigh she headed back down the hill with the beacon.

A little after an hour they had everything packed up and stowed in the SUV. After a quick check that they had left nothing behind, they headed back to the little hospital.

~ o ~

As he sat in the small room Terry began thinking about what had happened and what he had seen. At least he thought he had a pretty good idea, now, what his children had been up to this morning before lunch, which had left such an impression on them. But had he really seen what he thought he saw at that cave. He had been pretty out of it. But Madison had clearly referred to the Central Park Creature. Twice.

For the next two hours, when he wasn't talking to a nurse or the doctor, he thought about the urban myth and what he had seen with his own eyes. A couple of the stories he had heard had been pretty gruesome and he had not missed the dangerous looking claws on all three of them. But the majority of the stories, that he remembered, had involved people being helped or were simply innocuous sightings. There had even been stories of a rescue from a trapped subway car after the 9/11 attack.

Trying to make sense of it only made his head hurt. In the end he gave up and just replayed the day's events, trying to determine what he knew for sure.

~ o ~

Just about an hour before dinner time, two vans pull up beside the lake house and each van disgorged two people.

The two women were obviously sisters. They were both pregnant and just starting to show. The men however were as different as night and day. One was medium height, slender, blond and very energetic. The other was large, muscular, hair so dark it was almost black and he was very laid back. The boys' faces however showed a slight but recognizable family resemblance to each other. The girls were twin sisters, the boys were first cousins. Brigit and Nancy were Jacob's youngest sisters. Justin, the large one, was married to Nancy; Adam was married to Brigit. For both girls this was their second pregnancy. Both families lived in Connecticut, within a two hour drive of the lake house.

As the four approached the house, the door opened and Jacob invited them in. After greetings were exchanged, everyone sat down at the table for dinner. It was still an hour and a half until sundown and they couldn't risk the open road until after dark. Jacob brought them up to date on what had happened.

"Do you think they will become a problem?" Nancy asked.

Jacob shook his head. "I don't think so. The parents were so rattled from the cave-in that they may begin to doubt their own memories after a few weeks." He shrugged. "The two children however are young enough to believe their memories and they both had a lot more contact with us. Particularly that little girl, Madison. She has already made the connection between me and that Central Park myth."

"It's not really a myth, Jake." Brigit laughed. "I'll remind you, it's based on sightings of father roaming the park at night."

Nancy shrugged and added. "Or a few accounts of the times he came to mother's rescue." She glanced at her sister and continued. "And, then, there are those two times you and Charles were spotted in the park."

Brigit jumped back in. "And the time you, Dad and Jennifer rescued all those people when the towers came down."

"Alright, alright, point conceded." Jacob surrendered with a chuckle. "After today we may have to contend with the legend of the monsters of Chandler Lake."

"Oh, lord." Adam exclaimed with a laugh. "Dad's going to have a fit when he hears. There hasn't been an encounter this extensive since he was a helper."

"So, what's been happening with you four?" Jacob had been sensing a rather unusual mix of emotions, with _bemused excitement_ and _anticipation_ dominating, in all four of them since they had arrived.

The two girls glanced at each other smiling. Justin was the one that spoke. "We took the girls to the doctor today for their second prenatal checkup."

Now Linda was leaning forward, curiosity peaked, as she prodded for the news. "And?"

Brigit answered. "We're both carrying twins."

Six sets of jaws tried to hit he floor as Jacob's family reacted to this news. After a few moment's Jacob spoke. "Have you told Mom and Dad?"

"No, we just found out about it three hours ago. Right after you called, in fact." Nancy replied.

"We figured that since we had to transport you back to New York tonight, we would just tell them in person." Brigit added. "Knowing Mom and Dad, I'm sure they'll be waiting up for you to get in . . . especially with the emotional rollercoaster, that, I'm sure, dad has been getting from you today."

Adam jumped in. "Melissa and Eddie are both staying with my parents and I told them that we would probably be staying in New York overnight." Adam grinned. "My mom and dad were both there when we got the news about the twins and they knew we would want to stop by and tell Catherine and Vincent while we were there."

~ o ~

Finally Terry's family was back and, after another quick checkup, the doctor released him from the hospital with an admonition to take it easy for the next couple of days. He also told Tonya to take Terry to the hospital immediately if his headache got worse or the dizziness persisted. Tonya accepted his instructions and the small packet of six pain pills. He was to take one every six hours, only if needed.

After they got out of the hospital, Tonya and the kids mentioned that they were starving and Terry admitted that he might be able to eat a little something. His head was feeling better and he decided that he probably should try to eat something.

They stopped at a diner that they had spotted on the way in. The food was good old fashion home cooked style fare and Terry managed to eat his fair share. Finally, just as it was getting dark out, they were on the road and headed home.

~ o ~

Just before dusk the Chandler-Wells caravan pulled away from the lake house. It was still a bit early to be leaving but everyone was anxious to get back to New York and the vans were already packed so they pushed their departure just a bit.

_**Continued in Part 5**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	5. On The Road

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****5 : ****On The Road**

The main topic of conversation in the Chandler-Wells caravan continued to center around the news of the two sets of twins soon to join the family and the encounter between Jacob's family and the family of campers. By using cellular phones in an open three way conference call, the occupants of all three vans could talk together.

They were nearly halfway to New York when Brigit called out. "Will you look at that!" A cloud of white was clearly seen reflected in the beams from their headlights.

Peering ahead through the haze, Adam finally spoke. "It's coming from a vehicle way up ahead."

"I smell antifreeze." Jacob remarked.

Justin responded. "Must be a blown hose or a radiator. In the dark at this speed they may not even be aware of it yet."

Brigit added. "We should warn them before they burn up their motor."

Adam accelerated and the caravan soon pulled closer. Just before they pulled even with the other vehicle Linda called out. "That's the same type of Range Rover that the Cotton family was driving."

Adam shifted to the left lane, pulled up alongside the SUV, and lowered his passenger side window. He could not see into the other vehicle's tinted windows. He honked his horn twice and both he and Brigit pointed energetically at the back of the other vehicle. After a few seconds the Range Rover began slowing down.

"I'm going to pull behind them just in-case they need help." Adam declared as he slowed down and pulled in behind the smoking vehicle. The other two vans pulled in behind him.

~ o ~

Madison was babbling on about the family of lion-men to her mother when she paused. "Mommy, look." She exclaimed as she pointed at the driver's side window. Tonya looked to her left just as the van next to her honked twice. Its passenger window was down and the two people inside were gesturing back behind them.

After a second Tonya looked back over her shoulder. She could clearly see the cloud of billowing white, reflected in the lights of the two other vehicles behind her. "Oh No!" She exclaimed. "We've got problems." She glanced at the temperature gage. "We're overheating."

Terry, who had been dozing in the back until the other car had honked, looked back. "Pull over." Tonya had already begun slowing down and soon pulled off the road. Just as she brought the SUV to a stop, a huge cloud of steam began billowing out from under the hood. "I hope we didn't burn up the engine." He shook his head at the disheartening sight.

Tonya shut off the engine, pulled the hood release and stepped out of the SUV. She raised the hood and jumped back when she was hit in the face by a boiling cloud of steam.

~ o ~

The van caravan pulled off the road right behind the SUV. "That's Madison's mother." Michael, who was riding in the front van with Adam and Brigit, remarked when Tonya stepped out of the vehicle and started to the front, nearly disappearing into the cloud engulfing the SUV.

"Uh Oh, not a good idea." Adam remarked under his breath as he got out of the van. "Stay here." Then he closed his door and started walking quickly toward the SUV.

~ o ~

Tonya wiped off her face on her sleeve then looked up to see the man from the van coming through the steam toward her.

"Are you alright?" The man asked as he approached out of the mist. "Be careful that steam is hot."

"I just found that out." Tonya replied, ruefully.

Adam approached the SUV and took a closer look, now that the steam had begun to clear away somewhat. It wasn't hard to see the cause of the problem. The upper radiator hose had split wide open near one end. Judging by the way it was bulging out around the connection to the engine, he figured it had been inevitable. He pulled the oil dipstick and sniffed it then put it back and spoke to the Tonya. "I don't smell burnt oil so I don't think the engine is damaged." He glanced at the tow frame on the front of the SUV. We could tow you into New York and your family can ride with us. We can drop your car at a service station and drop you off at your home. Save you some time and money tomorrow morning."

Tonya looked at this stranger in surprise. "How do you know where we are going?"

Adam replied. "Michael said that you are Madison's mother and Sharon said you live in Manhattan. They've been telling us all about your little adventure this afternoon."

Tonya's eyes opened wide. "Michael, Sharon?" She shook her head. "Are you . . .?" She was unsure how to ask what she wanted to ask.

"Jacob, the big furry one with the fangs and claws, is my wife's older brother. My Father-in-Law looks just like him." Adam smiled. "If you'll get your family shifted over to the vans, I'll hitch up your SUV and we'll have you safely home in about an hour." At that point Linda came up to join them.

Justin and Adam got the SUV hitched to the middle van while Tonya and her family were distributed to the first two vans. Madison and Desmond rode in the first van with the rest of the children. Adam drove with Brigit riding shotgun. Madison, Michael and Caroline were riding second row. Devin, Sharon and Desmond were in the back row. Tonya and Terry rode in the middle van with Linda and Jacob. Linda drove and Tonya rode shotgun, Terry and Jacob sat behind their respective mates.

Terry kept looking at Jacob in disbelief as he tried to convince himself that he was not delusional. Finally the caravan again pulled out onto the road and they were on their way.

Jacob glanced at Terry a couple of times then chuckled at him which broke the spell. Terry shook himself. "Ah . . . I ah. Sorry for staring, I guess I was just trying to convince myself that you were real." He shrugged.

Jacob laughed. "I do get that occasionally. My name is Jacob Chandler-Wells. Linda, the one driving, is my wife." He glanced forward. "Our kids are in the first van with your kids."

Tonya spoke next. "Are all four of them yours, or is it your kids and Linda's kids?" It was the most delicate way she could think of to ask the question.

Jacob chuckled and Linda laughed in response. They both knew the meaning behind the question. Terry looked a bit startled as the meaning hit him as well. Linda responded. "All four of them are our natural children, which means that, yes, we are genetically compatible." She looked over her shoulder at Terry and grinned. "And in answer to your other unasked question, we don't know much about the hows or whys of it, but a doctor friend says that only the males can carry the leonine genetic traits, so there are no furry girls."

Tonya blushed. "Ah, I ah mean no offense."

"None taken." Linda laid her hand on Tonya's forearm. "Both questions are obvious ones to ask . . . along with the dozen or more that I'm sure are churning around in your mind."

Slightly emboldened by Linda's words Tonya continued. "How, ah, where did you meet?"

"That is a very fascinating story in itself." Linda glanced at Jacob in the rearview mirror and got an affirmative nod. He believed it was safe to trust these new potential friends with the revelations that the story would entail.

Linda smiled and nodded back. "It all started when I was ten years old. My father had brought my brother and myself to his place of business. It was sort of a field trip with dad, to see where he worked and what he did for a living. We were planning to meet mother afterward for lunch and go back home with her. Things didn't quite work out as we had planned." She shook her head and shrugged. "You see, it was September 11, 2001 and daddy worked on the eighty-fifth floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. I was never so afraid in my life as when that plane hit. Dad's office was only a few floors below where it hit. Dad gathered as many people from his office as he could and we started down the stairs. It took us forever and the stairway was full of smoke and other panicked people. Somehow we lost track of what level we were on and ended up in the bottom garage level. Before we could start back up, the building collapsed and we ended up trapped in a small un-collapsed pocket of that garage."

Linda began telling the story of how she and Jacob met under the destruction of the World Trade Towers on the day of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Jacob occasionally filled in his side of the story as well as the parts about the rescue efforts of Vincent and Jennifer. The children in the first van quickly quieted down as they soon became entranced in the story that was coming over the communications link between the vans. Even Justin and Nancy in the third van were drawn into the old story that they had heard many times before.

The miles flew by as the tale of survival and new friendship unfolded before their ears. They could see the New York skyline ahead when the story reached its conclusion.

Terry was the first to speak. "So Vincent is your father and he is like you, but where . . ."

Everyone in the middle van felt a jolt and a moment later Nancy's voice could be heard exclaiming. "Look out!" Followed by the sound of screeching tires coming from behind them.

~ o ~

Justin crawled out from underneath the back of the middle van as Adam approached after his examination of the tow bar of the SUV.

Justin spoke first. "Looks like metal fatigue where the tow hitch was welded to the frame. Broke clean off."

Adam added his conclusions. "The emergency towing break did its job and stopped the SUV before it crashed into anything. The trailer hitch is still attached to the tow bar. All we have to do is hook the SUV up to one of the other vans. We should have done that in the first place instead of trusting the rental van."

They were all distracted by flashing red and blue lights as a police car pulled over and stopped at the front of the string of four vehicles. "Good Lord, that's all we need." Exclaimed a very agitated Adam, shaking his head.

"Take it easy cousin." Justin admonished him as the van they were next to, rocked slightly. "Jacob can take care of himself. Let's go meet the officer and see if we can delay him."

Inside the first van panic was threatening to raise its head. "What are we going to do?" Caroline cried. "If that cop sees Devin and Michael . . ."

In the back seat, Desmond spotted some blankets behind the rearmost seat. "Can we cover them with these?" He asked as he pulled them forward.

"Michael, Devin, on the floor board, quickly." Brigit ordered. "The rest of you kids spread out a bit and put those blankets across your knees. Act like you're all asleep." Within a matter of seconds the two rear seats appeared to be occupied by four sleeping children partially covered by blankets. Michael and Devin were effectively hidden under the other's blanket covered feet.

In the Center van Tonya glanced over her shoulder at Jacob then over at Linda's worried frown. "This is not good, is it?"

Linda shook her head. "This could turn into a major disaster. My children . . ." She looked over at Tonya worry clearly showing in her eyes.

Terry and Jacob were both looking in the pile of gear and luggage in the back, then they looked at each other. Terry spoke. "There might be enough room if we've got enough time." Jacob slipped over the seat into the back in a graceful catlike maneuver that amazed Terry. "Pass up some of that stuff." Terry told Jacob.

The two police officers got out of the cruiser and headed up either side of the first van. The first officer looked in the open driver's window. "Is there a problem, here ma'am?" He asked. Meanwhile the other officer was shining his light into the two rear seats at the four visible children.

Brigit shook her head. "I don't know for sure. My husband said something about the SUV, we were towing, coming loose. He's back there checking it out now."

Caroline yawned and spoke up at this point. "Mother, what's going on?"

"Nothing dear. Go back to sleep." Brigit responded.

I can't. He keeps shining that light in my face." Caroline retorted sleepily.

"Well try anyway." Brigit replied as she tried very hard to keep a straight face. Caroline was doing a good job at distracting the officer.

Adam came up to the first officer on the driver's side, followed by Justin. "Is there a problem officer?" Adam inquired.

Both officers' attention was now on Adam and Justin. "That's what we're here to find out. We saw four vehicles pulled over by the side of the road and stopped to see what was going on." Both officers glanced at Justin, noticing his size.

Justin responded. "We were towing that SUV back there and it broke loose."

The lead officer spoke as he pointed to the line of vehicles. "Four vehicles?"

The second officer continued towards the next van as Justin watched nervously. "There are four families." Adam answered. "My wife and all the kids are in the first van. My sister-in-law and another couple are in the second van." Adam pointed his thumb at Justin, standing behind him. "My cousin and his wife are in the third van."

By now the second officer was shining his light into the second van. "And who is this forth couple you mentioned?" The first officer asked.

"They own the SUV." Adam replied. "They had a busted radiator hose and we were towing them into town when the tow hitch on the rental van broke off."

Justin spoke up. "We were just about to hitch the SUV to my van when you came up."

The second officer tapped on the window of the second van. When Linda rolled it down, the officer asked her. "What is all this equipment in the back?" He was shining his light in the back at Terry. And the pile of equipment beside and behind him.

"That's our Camping and spelunking equipment." Tonya replied, glancing back nervously to see if Jacob was hidden.

The second officer pointed his light at Linda. "Ma'am would you step out of the vehicle and open the back, please?"

Linda nervously stepped out of the van and, heart pounding, followed the second officer towards the back of the van. This was not good and it was rapidly getting worse. She had no idea how well Jacob might be concealed back there. What were they going to do now? What if this cop spotted Jacob? And what about her two boy's in the first van?

_**Continued in Part 6**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	6. New Connections

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****6 : ****New Connections**

Linda opened the back door of the van, her heart in her throat and pounding against her chest. The second cop was standing next to and slightly behind her shining his flashlight into the pile of camping and climbing equipment that appeared to fill the back of the van. Linda spotted a slightly rounded shape, just the color of Jacob's top, between the back seat and the rest of the stuff filling the cargo area. She prayed that Jacob knew enough not to move.

Beside the first Van the first cop instructed Justin to return to his vehicle. Then he continued to question Adam.

As Linda and the second officer stood at the open back of the second van, Nancy walked up to the second officer. "Sir my mother wants to speak to you." She held out her cell phone towards him just as Justin passed them on his way back to the third van.

The officer looked at her suspiciously. "Why should I want to speak to your mother."

"She's New York District Attorney Catherine Chandler." Nancy stated simply.

After a moment to recover from his stunned surprise, the officer accepted the phone. At the same time Linda noticed that the cop beside the front van seemed to be developing an inordinate amount of interest in the children in the back two seats of that van. She wondered how they had hidden her two sons and if the first cop had noticed something wrong.

"Officer Wilson speaking." . . .

"Yes, ma'am." . . .

"It's standard procedure in cases like this." . . .

"Multiple vehicles pulled off to the side of the road." . . .

"Four ma'am." . . .

"Yes, ma'am." . . .

"It could be a possible accident sight." . . .

"No, ma'am." . . .

"No, ma'am." . . . The officer was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable.

"No, ma'am." . . .

"No, ma'am." . . .

"Yes, ma'am." . . . He was definitely getting upset now.

"No, ma'am." . . .

"Yes, ma'am." . . .

With a deep frown of barely contained frustration, he wordlessly handed the phone back to Nancy and headed back toward his partner, growling under his breath. Linda closed the back door of the van while watching the first cop that was now again shining his light into the back of the first van. She closed her eyes and prayed. "Just hang in there for ten more seconds."

The second cop pulled the first cop aside and there was a short conference. Then to Linda's great relief the two cops returned to their patrol car and five minutes later the cruiser pulled away.

Nancy was still talking to Catherine on the phone apparently trying to explain why there were four vehicles in the caravan rather than three.

Adam removed the broken trailer hitch from the SUV and tossed it into the back of the rented van. Then, after a little rearranging, Adam and Justin got the SUV hitched up to Justin's van. Jacob and the equipment in the middle van were rearranged again and he was once again seated beside Terry.

While they were doing this Linda turned to Terry and Tonya. "Where did you want to take your car to be repaired?"

Terry and Tonya looked at each other then shrugged. After a moment Terry responded. "Up until now, I hadn't really thought about that. I suppose we will take it to the dealer."

Adam was looking in to see how everyone was doing at that time and threw out a suggestion. "There is an excellent mechanic that has his shop just north of central park. He repairs only what needs to be repaired, does good work at a very reasonable price, and he will deliver your vehicle to you when it is finished." He patted the roof of the rental van. "I'm going to get him to repair that trailer hitch before I take this rented van back. He'll make sure it's done right so this won't happen to the next person. We could drop your SUV off there as well."

Again Terry and Tonya looked at each other before he answered. "It sounds fine with me."

Once again they were on the road. After a few minutes of silence Linda started talking. "So Terry, what is it that you do when you're not exploring caves or riding in vans with strange creatures?"

Terry responded. "I'm an accountant for Burch Industries. Been there for fourteen years. Tonya manages a maid service, 'The Manhattan Maids'."

Linda brightened. "I've heard of them. My parents use that service. Once a month they come in and clean my parent's home." She shook her head in amusement at the coincidence. "And my father is part owner of an investment business, 'Gains & Byrd Investments', located in the Burch Towers."

Terry half choked in surprise. "That's the company that handles my retirement account." He paused a second. "I used them because they were convenient and some of my co-workers recommended them." He shook his head in disbelief.

Jacob laughed. "It sure is a small world. We already had several connections before we ever met."

After a moment Tonya remarked. "At least it gives us a couple of points of contact in-case we want to see each other again."

Linda laughed. "If I know my kids, they have probably already arranged several ways of remaining in contact with your kids. I suspect they have already planned a few rendezvous by now as well." She thought a minute. "If you don't have any plans for the weekend after next, we could get together for dinner and get to know each other better."

Tonya glanced at Terry then nodded. "I think we would like that."

Then it hit Tonya and she spoke up in surprise as she remembered what she had heard earlier. "Did I really hear Nancy tell that cop that Catherine Chandler was her mother?"

Linda shrugged. "Yes, you did."

Tonya shook her head and continued. "I remember my mother going on about it all the time, when I was very young, because Catherine Chandler steadfastly refused to identify the father of her three daughters. It was so scandalous." Then her eyes widened and, remembering that he had identified them as his sisters, she stared at Jacob in surprise,. "You're . . ." She blinked twice unable to continue.

"That is because our father looks a lot like me." Jacob remarked in answer to her unfinished question. "And, yes, I am her son."

"Here we are." Linda announced as they pulled into the parking lot in front of a small auto repair place.

The SUV and the rental van were parked in empty spaces next to the building and all of their personal items and camping equipment was transferred to the other two vans, making it a pretty tight fit with too little room to hold everyone. Jacob shook his head. "This just isn't going to work."

"What do we do now?" Tonya asked in dismay.

"We do seem to have a problem." Jacob glanced Linda. "How do we solve this one?"

Tonya missed the glint of mischief that passed between Jacob and Linda so quickly that it was barely more than a flicker.

Linda shrugged. "I guess I could tie you across the hood and claim that we're returning from a successful hunting trip."

Tonya looked at Linda with something akin to horror just as Jacob broke up laughing. "Or you could tell them that you finally got your man." Terry looked at Jacob in surprise. Jacob then remarked. "Or, I could just walk home from here."

Linda laughed. "I still think you'd look awfully cute across my hood, but I suppose you're right." She shrugged. "You'll probably still beat the rest of us home." Terry and Tonya realized by the gleam in Jacob and Linda's eyes that they had been having fun with them.

Tonya snorted. "You two are mean."

Brigit came back with a business card for the repair shop and gave it to Terry. She was snickering a bit as she commented. "Those two can be awful teases sometimes. You wouldn't believe the hard time they gave Justin and Adam when they first met the family."

Devin and Michael also volunteered to walk home with their father. Tonya looked at Linda in surprise when she OK'ed it.

"I wasn't kidding when I said that they would probably beat us home." Linda remarked as the three leonine males disappeared into the darkness. Soon the rest set off again and six minutes later, the two vans pulled up in front of Terry and Tonya's apartment building. It turned out to be less than a half mile from the Chandler-Wells family brownstone.

Adam, Justin and Linda helped Terry and Tonya carry all of their stuff up to their apartment. Linda promised to call them tomorrow evening to make plans for their get together in two weeks. After a quick round of goodbyes, the two vans pulled out.

Next they headed off to the Chandler-Wells brownstone where Catherine and Vincent were waiting for them. Jacob and his sons came up from the basement at the same time the rest entered the front door. Anxious to hear all about the unexpected developments, that they had just gotten a hint of from that last phone call, Catherine and Vincent practically pounced on them.

Brigit spoke up. "Before they start telling you about the trip, Nancy and I have some news to share." She paused dramatically. "We both had sonograms earlier today and we are both having twins."

Catherine was very excited and commented that twins seemed to run in the family. "The trait is passed from mother to daughter. My mother had a twin brother that died in Korea. I didn't even know about him until I found some of his things after mother died." She added. Then, after a moment's pause she turned to Linda and Jacob. Now what's all this about outsiders and your vacation trip?"

Jacob and Linda then told the story of the interrupted vacation. When they mentioned the meeting planned for later, Catherine shrugged and suggested. "You might as well have your little get together with the Cottons here in the brownstone. I would like to meet these new friends of yours." She looked over at Vincent and smiled. "We both would like to meet them."

Finally, after a little more small talk, Jacob, Linda and their family headed down to their home in the tunnels.

~ o ~

It had been difficult getting the kids calmed down after all the day's excitement. Terry and Tonya lay in their bed together trying to wind down from the day's events.

Terry snickered as he gingerly shook his still achy head. "I keep wondering, did I bang my head a lot harder than I thought or have we really become friends with the Central Park Creature, and his family?"

Tonya giggled. "Either that or I've also been hallucinating since that cave-in." She snuggled in close. "It's hard to believe what all happened to us today." She shivered. "When those two cops started snooping around, I was scared to death that they would discover Jacob and his sons. By that point, I really cared what happened to them."

"Well, we'll see what happens tomorrow evening, when and if they call us." Terry remarked.

A few kisses and hugs and they finally drifted off to sleep.

~ o ~

The next morning Terry and Tonya woke up and went through their morning routine without saying a word about the previous day. Finally Tonya had to say something. "Yesterday really did happen . . . didn't it?"

Terry picked up his wallet and a business card fell out and he picked it up. It was for the garage where they had left their SUV. "I guess it did." He glanced up at her. "Though I still have a hard time believing it." He kissed her. "Maybe we can spend the day with the kids in Central Park since we're all still technically on vacation."

"That's a wonderful Idea." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

~ o ~

Terry, Tonya and their children were all munching on hotdogs and discussing a quick visit inside Belvedere Castle when Tonya exclaimed. "I don't believe it!"

Terry and the kids looked at her in surprise. "What is it, Dear?" Terry asked.

"It's Linda, Caroline and Sharon." She pointed at a woman with three children coming up the walkway in their direction.

Terry looked in the indicated direction. "Well, I'll be!" He looked closer. "Who's that other little girl with them?"

Tonya shrugged as her two children also spotted their new friends and started waving. Linda and her two kids recognized Terry and his family at that point. Sharon and Caroline started running toward them, followed by the smallest unidentified child. Linda followed at a more leisurely pace. The children were soon eagerly greeting each other. The unknown little girl hung back shyly.

"We just keep running into each other." Linda remarked as she arrived. She placed her hand on the shoulder of the shy little girl. "Clarissa, honey, these are some new friends of ours. That's Madison and her brother Desmond." She looked up at Terry and Tonya. "This is my niece, Clarissa."

Clarissa looked up at Linda. "Do they know?"

Linda smiled down at her. "Yes, Honey, they know all about Your Uncle Jacob."

"What about Daddy?" She continued.

"They haven't met your father yet." Linda glanced at Terry's family then continued. "But I think it is alright to talk about your father with them."

Terry and Tonya both stared back in surprise as the meaning of that exchange occurred to them. There was another one out there. They glanced at each other with the same question on their minds. How many of them were there?

Clarissa studied the strangers contemplatively then finally smiled. "OK." She looked at the two children. "Are you going to the concert?"

Madison and Desmond looked to their parent's. Terry asked them. "Do you two want to go to the concert with your friends?" He was answered by two enthusiastic 'Yes's. He then looked at Linda. "I guess so. When and where is it?"

"It's over at the bandshell in about three and a half hours." Linda then glanced at the hotdog vendor. "You kids want hotdogs for lunch?"

After a chorus of 'Yes' from her three charges she purchased four from the vendor and they all ate lunch together.

After a while Linda spoke up. "I talked to Catherine and your family is invited over to her place for dinner on the Saturday after next. Jacob's father is interested in meeting you." She glanced over at Clarissa. "Clarissa's family may be showing up as well since you now know of her father."

~ o ~

Both families spent a couple of hours exploring the castle before catching a couple of horse drawn cabs and heading off to the afternoon concert at the band shell. After the concert they all headed over to the Central Park Zoo to finish out their day in the park. Although very careful what they said within earshot of strangers, Tonya and Terry did learn a bit more about the family of Vincent and Catherine.

~ o ~

On Friday, Terry had an appointment to meet his investment manager. He and Tonya were discussing a slight reallocation of part of their retirement accounts. A distinguished gray haired man poked his head into the office. "And how are things going with you today?"

Tonya replied. "So far it's been going fine."

Terry responded. "This company has never steered us wrong."

Tonya placed her hand on Terry's forearm. "We really ought to see if we can locate Jacob's father-in-law before we leave today."

"Did you get his name?" Terry asked.

Tonya shook her head. "They never said."

The gray haired man stepped into office. "Jacob?" He seemed very curious.

"A recent friend of ours. Very large powerful guy. A bit unusual looking." Tonya shrugged noncommittally. "We met him and his family on a camping trip to Connecticut last weekend."

The man addressed the agent that was handling their account. "Bill, why don't you bring them by my office when you're finished here." Then he walked away. A few minutes later Terry and Tonya were shown into the well appointed office of the distinguished man. He introduced himself as Chris Gains. After the introductions he came right to the point. "You mentioned someone named Jacob that you met in Connecticut. Was his wife by any chance named Linda?"

A bit surprised Tonya replied. "Yes, that is her name. What do you know about them?"

"Linda is my daughter. We met Jacob on 9/11 when we were trapped under the wreckage of the towers. He and his father rescued us."

Terry and Tonya both remembered Linda's description of that incident. "Then you know about Jacob's . . . peculiarities." Tonya stated.

Chris chuckled. "Very big, very furry, claws, fangs. Yea, I'm very familiar with his . . . peculiarities."

Soon they were deep in conversation about their very memorable weekend.

_**Continued in Part 7**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	7. Exploring Friendships

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****7 : ****Exploring Friendships**

**Winter 2025**

Terry and Tonya smiled tolerantly as they watched Madison and Desmond running around among the Winterfest guests, playing with the other tunnel children. Terry pulled Tonya out to the dance floor. They both continued to glance occasionally around at the dazzling Winterfest hall in amazement. Despite being their second time, Terry had felt a shiver run up his spine as he listened to that deeply moving opening ceremony, a little over two hours ago.

Terry twirled Tonya around as they moved among the other dancers. There was something so magical about this underground world that seemed to intensify Their relationship. Tonya reveled in the feeling of exhilaration from dancing in Terry's arms as he again twirled her while they moved across the floor to the strains of a waltz.

It had been a year and a half since that fateful Connecticut camping trip. A year and a half full of revelations and wonder. It was now just over a year since they were first introduced to the tunnels and the underground community that lived here. Their first introduction to the community had been in the form of an invitation to the naming ceremony of Brigit and Nancy's newborn twins. The presentation of four new children at one ceremony was apparently an unprecedented event that had filled the dining chamber almost to capacity. First, Nancy and Justin had introduced their new twins, Mary and Benjamin, to the tunnel community. Then Brigit and Adam introduced their twin daughters, Dawn and Dorothy to the gathering. Tonya had been quite moved by the simple little ceremony.

A month and a half later had been their first Winterfest. The wonder and magic of that first Winterfest had left its indelible mark on both of them. Though they had both spent many nights underground, it had been the first time they had spent the night 'Below', as the tunnel community called their world. There had been a very special magic about that particular night. Something about that chamber, Jacob called it the resort, had given their relationship an incredibly romantic boost. Maybe it had been the roses someone had left scattered across the bed and floor, or maybe it was the general ambiance that had done it. Even the tapping of the pipes had taken on an almost musical quality that night.

Terry, Tonya and their family had spent many weekends 'Below', since their introduction to the tunnels, exploring the many wonders to be found in the lower caverns. Every time they took a trip to those lower caverns they encountered some new and amazing place that often left them feeling like a couple of kids turned lose in the world's largest toy store. They both still remembered the first time they had seen the waterfall cavern with its underground lake, magnificent glowing ceiling and that incredible thirty foot waterfall at the far end. Who could have known that there was such magnificent underground beauty, right below their feet?

Only that waterfall lake could compare to the grandeur of the great crevice that they had traversed on their way down to this beautiful chamber where they were experiencing their second Winterfest.

Next month the children were supposed to stay with Jacob and Linda while he and Tonya took a, hopefully romantic, five day hike down to the crystal cavern. Two days to get there, one day totally alone amid such fabled beauty, and two days back. They had heard so much about it that they were both looking forward to making that trek together

~ o ~

About an hour later Terry and Tonya were talking with Jacob, Charles, their wives and the two owners of the Gains & Byrd investment company.

Chris Gains glanced at his wife then commented. "My wife and I saw an old movie last week about a mermaid that took the name Madison off a street sign and it got me wondering where your daughter's name came from."

Tonya and Terry both laughed then Tonya remarked. "Now that was an adventure."

Terry added. "And thereby hangs a tale." To which Tonya remarked with a grin as she nudged Terry. "You've been hanging around Jacob too much. You're even starting talk like him."

Terry nudged her back as he continued. "It all started in a taxi on the way to Mt Sinai Hospital. Tonya had gone into labor and we were on our way up Madison Avenue, right in the middle of rush hour traffic, when I noticed that we hadn't moved at all for several minutes. I looked around and we were sitting right in the middle of the intersection of Madison Avenue and East Eighty-Second Street, and we couldn't move in any direction. I looked out the left side window and saw the entrance to the Metropolitan museum of art. I asked the cabbie what was going on and he said that he had no idea but traffic was at a standstill. Tonya's contractions were coming closer and I was definitely edging towards a state of panic. Then we spotted a motorcycle cop and the cabbie flagged him down . . ."

At this point Tonya interjected. "At that time I wasn't even aware that we were stuck. I only knew that the contractions were coming closer and harder."

Terry continued. "Anyway, the cop told us that there was a bad accident at Madison Avenue and East Ninety-Fifth Street and another bad accident at Park Ave and East Seventy-Ninth Street. They had caused a massive traffic jamb that had left the whole area in gridlock that extended at least a half mile in every direction. At that point Tonya cried out when a particularly strong contraction hit and the cop glanced at her worriedly. He told us that there was a fire department ambulance trapped in this mess just two blocks over then he told me to hang in there and he would be right back."

Again Tonya expanded on Terry's story. "I had just become aware of our trapped state when that contraction hit and began to berate him for getting me knocked up and for getting us stuck here and for everything else I felt, at that point, was wrong in my life." Tonya glanced down shyly. "I'm afraid I wasn't very kind or ladylike."

Terry chuckled. "I think it was hearing Tonya's tirade, as much as anything I might have said, that galvanized that cop into action." Terry added as he resumed his tale. "The cop returned a few minutes later with a very pretty dark haired woman riding on the back of his bike and carrying an emergency medical case."

Tonya poked him in the ribs. "I'm having your baby and you're noticing pretty girls?"

"Actually it was her white coat and the emergency medical case that I noticed first. I only noticed her appearance later when she was coaching us through the labor and when she helped deliver our little girl. Then the only thing I saw was the face of my beautiful new daughter. The first thing I saw when I looked up from my daughter's face was the street signs that said Madison Avenue and East Eighty-Second Street. This was where my daughter had been born and I wanted to remember that. Almost under my breath I read the signs."

Tonya jumped in. "I only heard the first word and responded to it. 'Madison.' I said, 'That is a lovely sounding name. I like it.' Then I looked down at our daughter. 'Hello, Madison.' I said. 'Welcome to the world.' The paramedic smiled at me and said. 'What an appropriate and pretty name.' By the way, Terry was right; she was a very pretty woman, with jet black hair and the most intense blue eyes. I distinctly remember her eyes. They were a bright blue almost as unique as Vincent and Charles."

Terry took over. "Almost immediately after Madison was born, the paramedic was called away on some other emergency and I never got her name." He shrugged his shoulders. "It was another hour and a half before they finally got the traffic moving again, two hours before we finally arrived at the hospital. Anyway, that is how Madison got her name."

Jacob seemed deep in thought for a moment, then he raised his hand and called out. "Beverly, Beverly Whyte. Come over here a minute." A dark haired woman, with streaks of gray in her hair, glanced in their direction. Jacob turned back to them and continued. "You remember my story about being trapped when the two towers collapsed? Beverly is the woman that fixed the gash on the back of my shoulder." As the dark haired woman reached their little group Jacob commented. "Beverly, there are some people here I want you to meet."

Both Terry and Tonya's eyes became huge with recognition. "You're her!" Tonya exclaimed in surprise.

Beverly looked at the two of them with amused curiosity, as Jacob spoke up. "Beverly, I would like to introduce Terry and Tonya Cotton. You delivered their daughter when they were stuck in a traffic jam at Madison and East Eighty-Second."

Beverly Whyte's eyes also got wide as she recognized them. "I remember you. You named her Madison."

Soon they were deep in conversation as Terry and Tonya updated Beverly on what had happened to Madison since that day as well as how they had met the Chandler-Wells family.

~ o ~

**Spring 2026**

Linda and Elizabeth had met Terry and Tonya for lunch at a popular restaurant near the Burch Tower. The subject had come around to the lower caverns and they were discussing how much, of those the lower caverns, was still unexplored. Linda remarked. "Jacob is putting together a party to try and map out a section of the lower chambers just past the Crystal Caverns the beginning of next month."

Terry and Tonya both responded at the same time. "We would like to volunteer for that expedition." Terry continued. "We have some specialized equipment that will be a great help in such an undertaking. I just recently purchased a new subterranean sounder and inertial mapper. It will keep track of our location as well as creating a three-D image of each chamber we are in. I have been dying to try it out."

Linda grinned at them. "Why am I not surprised? This expedition was supposed to take about three to four weeks but, with that mapper of yours, it will probably only take about two weeks. Can you take that much time off?"

Tonya nodded. "My company can easily run on it's own for that long. No problem." Terry added. "I should have no trouble getting the time off. I have more than enough vacation time saved up and my boss has been urging me to use some of it up. The next month is pretty light, business wise, anyway."

Linda looked at them. "This expedition isn't what I would call a vacation. You won't be able to take your kids."

Terry laughed. "For us it is. You should know that about us by now. The kids would love it but I don't want to take them out of school for that long." Tonya jumped in. "Would it be acceptable for them to stay below while we're gone?"

Elizabeth spoke up. "Linda's kids are staying with us in the brownstone. Madison and Desmond are welcome to stay with us as well. We would be happy to have them and I'm sure the children will love it. It'll be like a two week sleepover."

~ o ~

Tonya looked about in undisguised wonder. The crystal chamber sparkled with every color of the rainbow as the light of the torches and lanterns reflected and refracted through the myriad of crystals that gave this chamber its name. It had taken a day and a half to get here and this was the last of the known/mapped chambers of the lower caverns. Tony and Terry had been here once before on a romantic holiday and the magic of this place was still as strong as the last time.

It was common knowledge that this was the chamber where Vincent had obtained the crystal that Catherine still wore around her neck. Inspired by that story of Vincent's gift, Terry took out his rock hammer and broke off an exquisite bright purple crystal the size and length of his little finger and put it away in his backpack. Purple was Tonya's favorite color. Tonya had been gazing around dreamily, so enthralled by the beauty of the chamber that she was totally unaware of his actions. He looked up to see Jacob grinning at him and giving him the thumbs up sign.

A few seconds later Linda whispered as she moved past him. "Smooth move. She'll love it. When we get back I'll give you the name of an excellent jeweler that can mount it for you."

Terry pulled his subterranean mapper out and triggered its sounder. Two and a half minutes later he had added an accurate to within inches, three dimensional, digital map of the chamber to his database. Once they got home he would be able to print out a new map of the chamber to be added to the hand drawn maps kept in Father's library.

Though Jacob Wells had passed away over eight years ago his old chamber and the adjacent library chamber were still thought of as his. His sleeping chamber had become a shrine to the man who helped found and was most responsible for the shape of the culture of the underground community. Terry often wondered what that original patriarch of Below was like and wished he could have met him. As it was he and Tonya were glad to be counted among those that helped to carry on his very special legacy.

After a quick lunch it was time to move on. Past this point, they would be entering unexplored territory. Though it was rumored that both Mouse and Vincent had been beyond this point. Mouse was another of those fabled personalities he would have liked to have met, but Mouse and his wife, Jamie, had been in Hawaii for the last five years, working on a major construction project for Burch Industries. He had seen Mouse and Jamie Jones on the company payroll and had wondered about it for years but never met them. The tantalizing glimpses he had gotten of them from talking to others in the tunnel community only made him more interested in meeting this very unusual pair of engineers.

~ o ~

It had been seven days since they started the exploration expedition and, thanks to Terry's high tech equipment, they had covered three times as much territory as originally planned. Currently they were following a long series of interconnecting irregular tunnels that had been carved out long ago by the underground river that currently flowed along the tunnel floor. The river at this point was about twenty feet across and about eight feet deep at the center. It was moving fast enough to be noisy.

They had stopped and began setting up camp for the evening. Tony paused to take another sounding for the three-D map then he ran a quick test of the water. With the exception of a few minerals the water was very nearly pure and, at fifty degrees, fairly cold. Next he checked their position. Based on the inertial navigator, they were approximately one hundred-twenty-six miles north-west of Manhattan and about two and a half miles below sea level.

After dinner the eight person party was sitting around the small heater talking about the days discoveries. Finally Tonya asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "It's been seven days since we set out. Do we turn around tomorrow morning and head back?"

Jacob considered the question for several seconds before responding. "We've been doing very good on our rations and have well over half of our food left. Water is no problem and it should take us only five days to get back since we will be taking a more direct route. I think we can continue onward for at least one more day." He nodded towards the river. "Besides I'm a bit curious to see where that river ends up." He glanced over at the group's spelunking expert. "What do you think Terry?"

Terry laughed. "You know me. I am all for tracing this river as far as we can."

"OK, then if no one else objects, we continue on for one more day."

~ o ~

Their parents had been gone for a week and Devin, Caroline, Michael, Sharon, Madison and Desmond were eagerly trying to drown each other in a boisterous game of 'Marco Polo' at the Waterfall Lake chamber. Peter, William, Clarissa and Joseph, were also involved in the melee. Elizabeth and Charles were in the water close by engaged in their own playful games that consisted mostly of tossing and dunking with the occasional kiss or hug thrown in.

Brigit and Nancy along with their husbands and six children had come into town for the weekend and were also present. The two sets of twins were still too young for such roughhousing and were playing in the water a little ways off from the others. Their two older children, Melissa and Eddie, were embroiled in the melee with the rest of their cousins and friends.

Catherine and Vincent both lounged on the beach looking on and grinning indulgently at their children's and their children's, children's antics and recalling their own youth and the early years of their marriage.

Eventually they all returned, exhausted, to the little campfire on the beach where they roasted wieners for their supper.

~ o ~

It was around mid day and they had stopped for lunch while Terry took another sounding. Two other streams had joined the underground river by this point making it a total of eight tributaries since they had first started following this underground river. Terry took another sample of the water. There was a minute trace of a couple of industrial chemicals that had apparently been carried in by the last tributary but it was far too small to be any danger to them.

"Do you hear that?" Jacob remarked quizzically.

Linda gave him a nudge. "You know, none of us can hear as well as you. What is it you hear?"

Jacob furrowed his brow. "It sounds a bit like a waterfall but I can't be sure."

~ o ~

Two hours later there was no doubt.

"It's incredible." Terry exclaimed.

"It's so beautiful." Tonya and Linda both breathed softly.

"I always suspected, but to see it for myself . . ." Jacob stared outward overcome by awe.

They were standing on a ledge next to the top of a forty foot high thirty foot wide waterfall. Before them was a cavern so vast that they could not see the other side. Below them was an underground sea that also extended into the misty distance. To the right was a rocky ridge that led down to a wide sandy beach that ran far to the right along the water's edge. The entire cavern was dimly lit by some type of colorful lichen that coated the roof. Terry suspected it was the same stuff that provided the illumination in the waterfall lake chamber though not as thick or as bright. Dozens of massive columns could be seen extending from the surface of the sea all the way to the high vaulted ceiling. The chamber had to be well over two miles across, that was the limit of visibility, and nearly a half mile high. In the clear water below, silvery fish could be seen darting around and occasionally breaking the surface.

After a few minutes, the exploration party headed down to the sandy beach. Tonya commented on the presence of waves in the great body of water before them. The mystery of the origin of those waves taunted her.

Terry tried to take a sounding but the cavern was far too big for his mapper, which had a range of two and a half miles, and he finally had to give up. With a little effort he was eventually able to map the near wall where the waterfall was located for about two miles out. Several photographs were also taken of the waterfall and the underground sea.

After a couple of hours of exploring the accessible areas of the near shore along the sandy beach, the party settled down for a late lunch and then packed up for the return trip home. Terry and Tonya both knew that they would one day return and try to cross that enticing and mysterious underground sea.

~ o ~

Five days later the expedition returned to the home tunnels overflowing with many fantastic tales to tell of the places they had seen.

_**Continued in Part 8**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	8. Subterranean Sea

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****8 : Subterranean Sea**

**Summer 2028 (Day 1)**

After a six day trek, Tonya, Terry, Linda and Jacob stared out across the great subterranean sea. Tonya unconsciously fondled the purple crystal that hung around her neck as she contemplated their destination. Where did those waves come from? They were only a few inches high at the most but they were coming in from 'out there' not from the waterfall that filled the air with its continual roar and mist. There was no breeze, no cause that she could see for those waves.

Madison, Desmond, Devin, Michael and Sharon were busy pumping up the two inflatable boats that they planed to attempt crossing this body of water in. Caroline was away at a summer camp in Washington D.C. She had recently developed an interest in American government. Once the boats were ready the kids began loading their equipment into them. The four other tunnel denizens, that had helped carry their equipment and supplies, had already started back toward the home tunnels. Both boats had small hybrid electric motors as well as two sets of folding oars. Either one could easily have carried the entire party but, as usual, Terry insisted on the extra margin of safety. They had enough fuel to last both boats for fifteen days (twice what they expected to need for this trip).

Terry and the girls were also wearing special thermal wetsuits and flotation vests in case they fell in. Jacob and his sons had their fur and their stronger constitutions to rely on.

This was not the first major spelunking expedition Madison and Desmond had been on with their parents, but it was the deepest and longest duration. Once their participation was known, it was inevitable that Devin, Michael and Sharon would also want to come along. They too had plenty of practical cave exploring experience, and so the great expedition to cross the subterranean sea had become a family affair.

Soon the two boats were on the water, as the explorers began to make their way across, in their search of the other side of this enigmatic sea. Terry, Tonya, Devin, Desmond and Sharon rode in the first boat. Terry was currently taking readings with a laser rangefinder and noting the data in his mapper device. Jacob, Linda, Michael and Madison were in the second boat.

Linda smiled to her self at what had become a common association. Whenever the children were together, Madison would inevitably be hanging with Michael and Desmond would be right beside Sharon. Devin seemed to be indifferent in his association. Madison, Michael and Desmond were all passing through puberty and Sharon was hot on their heels. Linda wondered just how serious these pairings might become. She looked across at the other boat and noticed Tonya also gazing speculatively at the four children in question.

~ o ~

As they approached the first of the great columns that supported that massive expanse of ceiling above them, everyone gazed in wonder at the combination of massive strength and incredibly delicate beauty. Terry took several readings of that column with his laser range finder and his mapper sounder. The ceiling at this point was twenty-three hundred feet above them. The column was over two hundred feet across and made of solid sedimentary stone. The surface of the column was fluted and folded with some of the folds forming paper thin curtains that practically glowed with hundreds of pastel colors made up of streaks and veins of every possible mineral. The whole column glittered with myriads of tiny crystals embedded in its surface. There were also a few veins of gold, silver, and copper embed in the surface of that column. They spent over an hour, circling, examining, and photographing that incredible column.

Terry took several readings of their current position. They were almost half a mile from the waterfall where they set out, the shoreline was almost lost in the intervening haze. To the left, the cavern wall was a quarter mile away; to the right it was now almost a mile away and receding. Terry still couldn't get a reading on the far side. The range finder had a limit of three miles, yet, except for the intermittent readings from intervening columns, it could not get a reading on the far side of the subterranean sea. A sample of the water showed that it was about half as salty as sea water and had a relatively high mineral content. He took a sample for later study. It was a good thing that they started with full flasks of water because he didn't think this water was suitable to drink. Health spas however would charge big bucks for the privilege of bathing in water like this.

Finally it was time to move on. They had a lot more ground (water) to cover on this expedition. Long after they had passed it they all continued to gaze back at that amazing column. Finally the view became blurred by the ever present mist.

~ o ~

Madison was the first to notice that several large silvery white fish were shadowing their boats and pointed them out. Closer inspection revealed that they were about six to eight feet long and appeared to be kin to the porpoise family. They looked like albino dolphins. Their skin was a pure silvery white and looked like frosted glass. Their eyes were a pale sky blue.

Linda noticed the way Jacob was frowning at the under-sized albino dolphins and asked. "What is it Jake?"

He glanced at her, the puzzled look still on his face. "I don't know. I'm . . . I'm sensing something unusual from them." He shook his head. "It feels like emotions but . . . They're so alien. I'm not even sure I can truly identify them correctly." Again he seemed to be concentrating. "I aaaa . . . I think what I'm sensing may be a form of curiosity or . . . puzzlement but it's hard to tell for sure." He looked at her. "I have felt emotions from animals before but they were always very primitive, very simplistic. This is much more complex, more like us, yet so alien in nature." He glanced over at Devin in the other boat. "I think Devin is sensing it too."

They kept close watch on the albino dolphins for a while but they never came closer than about ten feet to the boats and, after a while, everyone just became used to seeing them out there.

They stopped once to examine a small sandy island they encountered. It was about a thousand feet across and there was a fifty foot diameter, two hundred foot high stalagmite sticking up out of its center. A half mile above their heads was the thousand foot long stalactite that was feeding it. Terry noted the island on his mapper, which showed that they were four and a half miles from the waterfalls that was their starting point. The cavern wall to their left was four-thousand-five-hundred feet away. The wall to their right was too far away to register. He still couldn't get a reading on their destination. After a half hour on the island they continued their journey.

Another couple of hours later, they became aware of a faint roaring sound ahead and off to their left. As they continued the direction of the sound slowly swung further to the left as it also got louder. They came to another of those great columns. This one was twice the size of the last one they had passed close to. The ceiling was over four thousand feet up at this point and the water appeared to be almost two hundred feet deep. The roaring was directly left of their current direction of travel. After a short conference, the explorers decided to investigate and turned the boats in that direction.

After a few minutes, they were able to see the cavern wall through the mist. There was a fair size opening in the wall about three hundred feet up. A ten foot wide stream of water flowed from that opening and fell the three hundred feet to the surface of the underground sea, throwing up great clouds of mist. The vista was beautiful.

Jacob heard Tonya cry out from the other boat at about the same time that he was nearly thrown out when something hit the bow of his boat knocking it violently to the right. Again something struck the front of the boat knocking it further to the right. At the same time he became aware of several of the albino dolphins thrashing around in the water between them and the falls. The kids were upset and Terry was cursing as his boat again lurched to the right.

Jacob also was sensing a new emotion from the dolphins now. He couldn't be sure but he thought it might be similar to fear or anger. He called out. "Steer to the right. Run parallel to the wall."

The bumping stopped when they turned the boats, but the group of thrashing dolphins continued to stay between them and the cavern wall. After they had gone about six hundred feet, the dolphins to the left disappeared. Jacob again called out. "Let's try turning towards the wall again. See if they will let us this time."

They turned back towards the shore and this time encountered no interference. There was, however, a group of the dolphins that maintained position between them and the waterfall. Terry called out. "Apparently we're just not allowed near the waterfall."

Soon they came up onto a small stretch of sandy beach. They pulled the boats up onto the beach and began unpacking them. It was getting late, though there really was no true night or day here, and they were all tired and hungry. They quickly set up camp and were soon eating around the camp heater and discussing the behavior of the albino dolphins.

"Why do you think they did that?" Tonya asked.

"Maybe it's a sacred waterfall of the gods." Linda threw out.

Terry chuckled but Jacob seemed to take the suggestion seriously. "Whatever the reason, they were determined to keep us away from it and there were some very strong emotions coming from them." Jacob remarked as he continued to contemplate the possible meanings of this evenings actions.

Devin chimed in. "I couldn't tell if they were angry or afraid . . . or some strange combination. There seemed to be elements of both yet it didn't feel like anything that I'm familiar with."

"I know what you mean." Added Michael. "Their emotions are so . . . odd. Most of the time I'm not sure what they're feeling. Even the animals in Central Park are easier to read than they are."

"But there is definitely some form of intelligence there." Jacob nodded. "It's very alien to us but it's there all the same. Those creatures think, and I believe that they are sensing our emotions as well."

Tonya shook her head. "Jacob, do you realize that you have just solved a mystery that has plagued marine biologists for decades?" Jacob looked at her in surprise. "Two questions that they still haven't been able to answer are: Are dolphins intelligent and if so why can't we communicate with them? And the other question is; why are dolphins so incredibly protective of humans even though they are meat eating predators?"

Everyone looked at Tonya curiously as she continued. "You said that their emotions definitely indicate intelligence but it is so alien that you are having difficulty understanding what they are feeling." Everyone was nodding at the sense of her words. "You also said that they seem to be sensing our emotions. If they are empathic then they would be able to identify us as fellow intelligent creatures though very hard to understand."

For a while only the roar of the waterfall was heard as everyone contemplated what she had just said. After a while they were all relating stories, they had heard, about encounters with dolphins, which seemed to support her conclusions.

~ o ~

A little while later Tonya spotted Madison and Michael sitting together out by the water's edge. They were holding hands. It looked to her like her speculations about them weren't so far off. Madison leaned into Michael and laid her head on his shoulder.

Linda came up and stood beside Tonya. "Looks like we may have to keep an eye on those two during this trip." Linda commented. "Though I don't think it's gotten much beyond simple puppy love yet." She smiled. "I remember when Jacob and I were that age we were already totally committed to each other. With us it was never a question of if we would one day marry. The only question was when we would get around to doing it." She turned and grinned at Tonya. "At least they don't have the bond complicating the situation . . . though with Jake and me it was part of what made us inevitable."

Tonya looked at Linda quizzically and with a hint of worry. "The bond? I've heard about it but I don't really understand it."

Linda smiled at her. "It's like a permanent radio link between our minds on the emotional level. We can always feel each other's emotions and like a radio it can be turned up or down at either end. But unlike a radio it can never be completely turned off. Occasionally it can be a nuisance, but, mainly, it is part of what makes our life together so beautiful. I wouldn't give up our bond for anything that this world could offer. Even the freedom to go openly in public with Jacob and my family would not be worth the loss of our bond."

Tonya gazed at Linda dazed by the intensity of the gleam in her eyes as she talked about her bond with Jacob. Finally she shook off the effects of that declaration and quietly asked. "Do you think such a bond could form between Michael and Madison?" She was both intrigued and worried by the possibility.

After a moment Linda answered. "We don't really understand what makes the bond work the way it does. It seems to be an extension of their empathic ability. But . . . if those two ever really truly fall in love, then there is a distinct possibility that they will become linked, how or when is anybody's guess. Charles and Elizabeth practically grew up together yet their bond didn't form until their late teens after they were already a couple and it grew very slowly. My bond with Jacob formed full strength less than a day after we met as ten year olds. We actually became a 'couple' when we were fourteen and became lovers at sixteen." She shrugged, paused a moment, then continued softly. "If you had ever experienced what Catherine, Elizabeth and I have experienced, you would know what a beautiful thing it really is."

Jacob came up behind them. "You must be thinking about me?" He put is arms around Linda.

"About you and the kids." Linda responded. Then to Tonya. "Like I said he always knows what I'm feeling."

Terry came up behind Tonya and put his arms around her as Jacob responded. "They're still young. They aren't serious enough about each other yet to worry about . . . though I will admit that the potential is definitely there." He chuckled. "For now they're much like you and I were at that age but without the bond."

Terry kissed Tonya's ear. "Well it's getting late and we should all be getting some rest."

Soon everyone was snuggly tucked away in their sleeping bags except Devin. He had pulled first watch. Because of their heightened empathic awareness, as well as their tendency to operate on less sleep, Jacob had insisted that he and his sons should handle night guard duty. The roaring of the waterfalls gently lulled the rest of them to sleep.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 2)**

Terry gazed out at the perpetual twilight of the subterranean sea. It was morning, according to Terry's watch, and he wanted to see if he could get a closer look at that waterfall. After getting the boats packed and ready to go, the explorers took a walk along the sandy beach towards it. About a hundred feet from the falls, the sandy beach completely disappeared and the water came right up to the cavern wall.

"This looks to be about as close to it as we're going to be able to get." Jacob commented as he noticed several white dolphin heads poking up out of the water, watching them.

Tonya was gazing up at the face of the cavern wall when she spoke. "Maybe not." She had noticed several deep ridges along the wall which she pointed out. "See those ridges? Those would make it fairly easy to climb up and over to that opening where the falls originates. We have all the necessary equipment." She faced the others. "What do you say? Want to attempt it?" There was a definite hint of eagerness to her voice.

Jacob studied the wall for a moment, then nodded once. "Devin, Michael, go fetch the climbing equipment from the boats."

~ o ~

Terry faced the rest of the party, now outfitted in their climbing equipment. "Jacob, with your superior strength and those claws, you should take the anchor position in the center of the string. Devin can take the end point and Michael will be behind me. The rest of you spread out evenly along the line. Remember. Never disconnect from the line once we start climbing. That rope is your lifeline in case of an accident." Once everyone had hooked themselves onto the safety line Terry ran a final check then began leading them up the sheer rock face at a diagonal towards the source of the falls.

They were about a hundred feet up when Sharon, who was between Desmond and Devin, lost her footing and with a shrill scream, fell away from the rock face. Five feet down, she reached the end of her safety line and came to as sudden stop knocking the wind out of her. Devin's grip on a stone ridge kept him anchored to the wall. Desmond had hold of one of the pitons Terry had been driving into the wall at intervals and was able to hold his position.

While Devin and Jacob acted as anchor points, Desmond helped Sharon back up. After a few minutes to calm down and get their wind back, the party continued up the wall.

Finally they reached a five foot wide shelf at the source of the falls. They looked down into the crystal clear water below. They saw hundreds of razor sharp formations very close to the surface in the area the dolphins had been herding them away from yesterday. The silvery dolphins were flashing in and out among those formations like they were playing a game of tag.

Jacob remarked. "If they had not stopped us we would have ripped the bottom of our boats to shreds on those formations before we even realized what was happening."

"They probably saved our lives." Tonya added.

_**Continued in Part 9**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	9. The Attack

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter**** 9 : The Attack**

After determining that the tunnel, that the waterfall stream flowed out of, was too narrow to allow them to follow it, Terry took a few readings of it from the opening then the explorers headed back. Terry lead them almost straight across the rock face until they were above the sandy beach then they rappelled the remaining two hundred fifty feet down to the beach. The kids all had a blast going down as quickly as they could.

They spent what was left of the afternoon repacking their equipment. The only sign that they had ever been there was the dozen pitons they had left embedded in the rock face. Most of the pitons had been recovered but not all.

They had missed lunch and everyone was very hungry so they had a large early dinner. An hour later they once again set off in their boats. After about an hour and a half they stopped for the night at another of the many small sandy islands that seemed to be scattered throughout the subterranean sea.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 3)**

The next morning, after a short discussion, the explorers had decided to try to find the source of the never ending waves. They changed their direction to take them head-on into those waves, which was about forty-five degrees to the right of their previous course.

They had been under way for about an hour when Terry took another water sample. After testing it he commented. "It's odd that the water of this underground sea is significantly warmer than the water in those two water falls we have encountered so far, and it has been getting gradually warmer, the further we go into the waves."

"Volcanic activity?" Tonya questioned.

"I don't know." Terry replied.

For a full day they headed into the gradually stronger waves. Along the way they passed several of the great columns. Each one was different, and all were beautiful. The waves continued to get stronger and the water continued to get warmer. Just about the time the water temperature reached seventy and the waves reached about a foot in height they spotted a huge column dead ahead.

A half hour later the dolphins had all disappeared. They were about a mile and a half away from that huge column and they could make out a large conical island around its base. A half hour later they reached the island that surrounded the column. Once they pulled the boats up onto the island, they began to explore.

The island was an almost perfect flattened cone, a bit over two miles across. It appeared to be made of a porous volcanic rock with a thin layer of sand over it. Rising from the center of the island was the largest column they had yet seen. It was nearly a mile in diameter and reached up to a ceiling that was over a mile above them.

All the way around the island, every two and a half seconds, the water level would surge upward nearly a foot then move away from the island in waves of a bit over a foot in height. The island was definitely the source of the waves. Terry found that the surging water was much warmer than the temperature of the surrounding water.

Jacob commented that he could hear what sounded like water surging through a large pipe, coming from the great stone column. The sound coincided with the surge in water level around the island. While he was reporting this phenomenon to the rest of the group, Terry was consulting a surface map.

Terry finally commented. "Tonya, you remember that hot springs spa in Connecticut that we visited two years ago?"

Tonya nodded. "Yea, I remember. They said it was built over a hot springs that the Native Americans once considered to have magical healing powers. It was really a very nice place."

Terry continued. "According to the inertial navigator we are almost directly below that spa." He chuckled. "I think we have just found the source of those hot springs they were so proud of. There must be some ancient lava tubes running up through the center of that column."

"But what drives the water up to the surface?" Jacob asked.

Terry gazed down at the ground for a few moments before replying. "It's the same force that is driving those waves and probably formed this island. We are standing on a sleeping volcano. Judging by the size of that column it has been asleep for a very long time, but it's not really dead. There must be an active lava dome below us." He paused again. "A volcanologist could probably explain it better than me, but I think I know what is happening here." Terry scraped away the three inches of sand to expose the rock underneath. "This volcanic rock is very porous and the surrounding sea water tends to seep through it fairly easily, like a sponge. It collects over the lava dome and is superheated till the bottom layer becomes highly compressed steam. That forces the water back out under tremendous pressure causing the periodic surge we see around this island and the subsequent waves. Since there is a limit to how much water can pass through this rock, the excess is forced up tubes within that column which supplies those hot springs on the surface."

Everyone congratulated Terry on his deductions and agreed that it explained all of the observed phenomenon.

It was getting late and they set-up camp on the island, high enough up the beach to ensure that they wouldn't get swamped by the continuous surges in the surrounding sea.

All of the adults noticed the way Madison and Michael hung close together. Late that night after the kids were asleep Jacob and Linda were discussing this.

"Have you noticed how close those two have become in the last few days?" Linda questioned.

"Oh yes, I've noticed. The more time Michael and Madison spend together the stronger their emotional attachment becomes. It hasn't yet become sexual in nature, but those two are both deep in the throws of puberty. I have no doubt that it will eventually turn into full blown teenage sexual attraction."

"I can't help feeling that our children are growing up so fast." Linda shook her head. "And now I find that I suddenly have to worry about their sex lives."

Jacob chuckled. "Our 'innocent children' won't be either for too much longer I'm afraid." He thought a moment. "Personally I like Madison and her family and I wouldn't mind if a relationship developed between Madison and Michael, even if she is over a year older than him. They do seem t be a good match for each other."

"But they're still so young." Linda protested. "I look at them and I see my babies."

Jacob chuckled again. "Will you listen to us? You're trying to keep them from growing up and I'm already trying to pair them off. The perpetual dilemma of parents. The desire to hold on to our children versus the need to let them grow up and leave the nest."

After a moment of silence Linda again spoke. "What do you suppose Terry and Tonya think about Madison being involved with a . . . creature like Michael?"

"They are unfazed by it." He chuckled as he continued. "Of course I have been sensing their feelings and I over heard a bit of conversation between them last night and they feel pretty much the same as we do about it. They are far more concerned about their youth than about Michael's differences. In fact I heard Terry commenting on how surprising he found it that Michael's differences didn't mean a thing to him."

Linda sighed. "That is good to know." She soon drifted off to sleep as Jacob continued to watch over the group.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 4)**

Terry woke up and checked his watch. It was still early. He glanced around and spotted Devin sitting up beside the boats. It was his turn on watch. Then Terry noticed that Madison and Michael's sleeping bags were pushed right up against each other. When had that happened?

"She was awake and sitting with him last night when I took over watch." Devin commented when he noticed where Terry was looking..

Two hours later the party was again in their boats. They had decided to return to their original direction of travel for the next leg of their journey. As before, they were escorted by the albino Dolphins.

Around mid day, Linda sensed an uneasiness in Jacob. "Is something wrong Jake?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure . . . I'm feeling something from the dolphins; I think that they are unhappy about something or worried . . . It's hard to tell."

"Are they unhappy with us?" Linda asked.

"I don't know." Jacob replied.

A few minutes later the dolphins began zipping around, getting very agitated. Terry, Tonya, Jacob and Linda all began looking at each other, unsure what to make of this development. Jacob was feeling something from them that seemed to be a combination of fear and rage without truly being either one.

"What's with the dolphins?" Terry asked, concern growing over their actions.

Tonya cried out when something bumped the bottom of their boat.

"What was that?" Terry looked over the side into the water. To him it looked as though the water itself had come to life with shifting colors and shapes as a dolphin zipped past beneath their boat moving surprisingly fast.

Further out several dolphins broke the surface moving rapidly toward the boats then disappeared below the surface.

Jacob's boat was forcefully bumped from beneath, threatening to capsize it. Then a streak of brightly colored lights flashed up out of the water and something grabbed Madison, who was sitting closest to that side, lifting her screaming out of the boat. It looked like a ten foot long tentacle with flowing, changing colors running along it. Jacob stood up to help and another tentacle grabbed him, lifting him up out of the boat. Linda screamed his name as she grabbed for him but missed.

Michael leaped from the boat and crashed onto the tentacle holding Madison. He roared his defiance as he slashed at the tentacle with his claws. The dolphins were swimming into the melee at high speed and ramming a large shape that was located just below the water. Water was flying everywhere threatening to swamp the boats as all around them the surface was suddenly full of thrashing tentacles.

With a cry, Madison was released and, still clinging to the tentacle that had been holding her, Michael caught her in mid air and swung her into the nearby boat. She landed with an oomph. A half second later Jacob hit the water, the tentacle that had been holding him now hanging limp from the point where he had nearly slashed it through.

The body of what they now saw was something similar to a giant squid, surfaced close to the boats. The second boat bounced three feet into the air, throwing Tonya, Desmond and Sharon into the water. Devin jumped in and attacked a tentacle that was approaching Sharon and Desmond.

As the tentacle, Michael was clinging to, whipped around past the boat, he dropped free and landed in the boat next to a seriously freaking Madison, then he put his arms around her to sooth and calm her.

In the water Tonya was startled to feel something come up between her legs. She squealed in surprise and fear then she was lifted powerfully forward out of the water and landed half in, half out of the boat. Terry saw her surge out of the water then caught a glimpse of one of the albino dolphins diving under the water right behind her.

Devin was clinging to the tentacle tearing at it with his claws as Desmond and Sharon swam towards the boat. Jacob had grabbed another tentacle and was clawing at it while the dolphins continued to ram the body of the great beast.

Then as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The water beneath them filled with a swirling cloud of black ink and a swell of water could be seen moving rapidly away from the boats. Several of the dolphins could be seen leaping out of the water as they chased after the giant beast.

Jacob and Devin had both been dragged a couple of dozen feet through the water before they let go of the monster's tentacles and were now making their way back to the boats. Terry stopped his boat as Tonya helped Desmond and Sharon climb back into it. Linda had taken control of the other boat and had brought it to a stop. Michael continued to comfort Madison. The dolphins near the boats had calmed down considerably by now.

A short time later Jacob and Devin climbed into their respective boats. Tonya was soothing Desmond and Sharon's jangled nerves as Michael finally got Madison calmed down. After observing the kids and holding a quick conference, it was decided to stop at the first island they came to. There was one dead ahead and fairly close so they made for it.

Fifteen minutes later they had beached the boats and were settled around the camp heater to dry off. They had not even bothered to unpack the boats. Madison was clinging to Michael and he had his arm wrapped protectively around her. Desmond and Sharon were clinging to each other and looking a bit shell shocked while Devin held them both protectively. Tonya and Terry were clinging to each other for moral support as was Jacob and Linda. Each of them was trying to deal with their recent harrowing experience as best they could.

"I can barely believe that thing could have existed down here." Terry commented shaking his head. "But then I never would have expected to find dolphins down here for that matter." He shrugged. "Normally the biggest thing you expect to find this far below ground is a small crustation or maybe a medium size fish."

Jacob remarked frowning. "Just as it attacked I caught a sense of it. There was no intelligence, just massive rage and hunger. For an instant I thought it was coming from the dolphins. Then that tentacle grabbed Madison." He shook his head, his frown deepened. "I don't understand why I didn't sense it sooner."

"I was thinking the same thing." Devin added. "I never got a hint of it until the moment it attacked."

After a moment's consideration Terry responded. "That thing has spent its life sharing its environment with empathic dolphins. I suppose it would have to be able to block or hide itself from empaths in order to survive."

Tonya jumped in. "Remember how the dolphins were acting just before the attack? I think they knew it was near, but they couldn't get a read on it either. Did you see how they went after it once it revealed itself? They continued to attack it after it bugged out. It was as though they were determined to get it before it could escape. I suspect that they have had trouble with it or one of its cousins before."

Linda shivered as she glanced out at the water's surface. "Good lord, you mean there could be more of those things out there"

"It's quite possible, though I don't think there can be very many of them. I suspect that the dolphins would tend to gang up against any of those creatures that happened to cross their path." Terry responded. "They certainly went after the one, that attacked us, with a vengeance."

The subdued explorers spent the rest of the afternoon drying out and talking over what to do next. Finally they decided to continue the search for the far side, then they began setting up camp. Fortunately all of their equipment had been carefully lashed down in the boats and nothing had been lost in the fracas (another result of Terry's insistence on extra caution and double security).

All four adults noticed that Madison very deliberately arranged her sleeping bag right next to Michael. They also noticed that Desmond and Sharon both set up next to Devin. Everyone was feeling the need for comfort and security this night. Unable to sleep, Linda sat up with Jacob as he took up first watch.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 5)**

By the next morning everyone had pretty much recovered their spirits. Shortly after they set out, Jacob noticed and pointed out that there was twice as many dolphins escorting them as before. The day was almost completely uneventful. The only thing of interest was the dozen or so islands and columns that they passed and by the time they found an island to set up camp on, they were all tired and ready for sleep. Madison again set her sleeping bag down next to Michael. Likewise Desmond and Sharon both set up next to Devin.

~ x x x x x ~

** (Day 6)**

The new day on the underground sea started like the rest. They ate breakfast, packed the boats, and set out in the same direction as before. Other than the larger number of them, Jacob noticed that the dolphins were coming in closer to the boats than before. One even let Sharon reach out and pet it.

It was approaching evening and they had passed about another dozen of those great columns when Sharon momentarily caught sight of a cavern wall slightly to the right of dead ahead, through a momentary break in the mist. About a half hour later they could all see the cavern wall a bit over two miles ahead.

Before long they could all see the beach that spread out from the cavern wall. They soon saw that this beach was rocky rather than sandy (at least there was a beach to land on). Excitement built among the explorers as they approached that wall and its beach. Then they arrived, landed their boats, and drew them up onto the rocky beach.

The explorers stood on that rocky beach and stared at each other in triumph. They had done it. They had crossed the subterranean sea. Sixty seven miles across and they had done it.

_**Continued in Part 10**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	10. Heading Home

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter**** 10 : Heading ****Home**

Tonya was hugging Terry, as they celebrated their achievement, when a thought occurred to her and she voiced her thought to the others. "You know this place really needs a proper name. Something other than 'The Subterranean Sea'."

Madison spoke up. "How about 'The Dolphin Sea'?" She suggested.

"That sounds perfect to me." Jacob responded. At the approving nod of the others, he called out. "**As the discoverers of this great underground sea, we dub thee 'The Dolphin Sea'**." His words continued to echo through the great cavern as the others cheered.

Finally as the euphoria wore off they began setting up camp for the night.

That was when they realized that they had a problem. Unlike all the other beaches, this one was rocky rather than sandy and the rocks were fairly large. Finding a comfortable place where they could set up their sleeping bags turned out to be impossible. After about an hour of fruitless searching for a suitable campsite they decided to start back and stop at the first sandy island that they encountered.

After an hour and a half, they found a suitable island to setup camp. Like the last two nights, Madison and Michael set up their sleeping bags next to each other, as did Desmond, Sharon and Devin. The children were all very tired and went right to sleep. The four adults stayed up a bit later and discussed the trip back. They decided to set a straight line course for their departure point rather than retracing the route they had taken to get here.

Finally Terry and Tonya fell asleep while Linda stayed awake and kept Jacob company.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 7)**

The dolphins turned out to be much friendlier than before. Several of them came close enough to the boats to be petted. Around mid-day the explorers stopped at one of the many small islands for lunch. Madison waded out into the water and was soon playing with a couple of the dolphins.

Once they were back underway all the children wanted to swim with the dolphins. Jacob could sense no hostility in them. He had actually felt something very much akin to pleasure or happiness from the dolphins when Madison had gone out to them during lunch. After a quick discussion all four parents agreed to let the children swim with the dolphins.

Soon they were taking turns jumping into the water and the dolphins would take them on high speed rides around the still moving boats. This activity seemed to amuse the dolphins as much as the children. Eventually the adults couldn't resist and also took turns in the water.

Desmond and Sharon were both in the water on either side of a dolphin that was towing them both in a large loop around the boats. Suddenly their dolphin turned and made a beeline straight to the boat. As soon as they reached the boat the dolphin was urging them to get in, practically shoving them up into the boat with its nose. Sharon squawked when the nudging got a bit too personal but she continued clambering into the boat.

At the same time Jacob noticed that half of the dolphins that had been escorting the boats, had disappeared and the remainder had moved in closer to the boats. The actions showed every indication of forming a protective ring around the boats.

About a minute later a major commotion broke out a fair distance off to the left. It was too far away for him to see what was happening but there was plenty of splashing and movement going on. The commotion lasted about two minutes then all was quiet again. Shortly after that all the dolphins in their escort had apparently returned. A few minutes later they noticed that some of the dolphins were sporting brand new cuts and bruises.

As evening approached they started looking for a suitable island to stop for the night. There didn't seem to be any. That's when they realized that they hadn't seen any islands at all for the last several hours. They had passed plenty of the great columns but none of them had been surrounded by a beach. There was nowhere to land the boats.

"What are we going to do?" Linda asked. "There's no place to land."

"It seems counter productive to turn around and it would take too long to reach any islands in that direction, anyway." Jacob remarked. "What do you suggest?" He asked Terry.

Terry replied. "The best thing I can think of is to just continue on. We can take turns stretching out to sleep in the boats." He paused and Tonya suggested. "We should probably tie the two boats together; just to be sure we don't get separated if everyone falls asleep."

Jacob considered it a moment. "It sounds workable. These boats are large enough for three people to sleep side by side."

They tied a rope between the two boats and decided that they would sleep two at a time in each boat.

Three hours later Linda spotted a beach straight ahead.

Soon everyone was awake and watching the approaching beach. They quickly realized that the beach cut across their line of travel as far as they could see. Once they reached it they found that it was more of a sand bar than an island. Once they beached the boats they quickly set up a rudimentary camp and were soon asleep. Tomorrow they would figure out what to do.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 8)**

Jacob woke up to find Tonya and Devin already up and looking over their situation. The sand bar, they were on, appeared to be about a third of a mile across and extended to the left and right as far as they could see. It appeared that the only way past it was to walk across it. Not the best of options considering everything they would have to carry with them.

Tonya kicked at the sand as she walked toward Jacob. "Normally I'd say just drag the boats across to the other side . . ." She paused as she again kicked contemplatively at the sand then picked up a handful of it. "But this sand is so coarse that I'm afraid it could damage the bottom of the boats."

Terry and Linda both joined them as they gazed up and down the long stretch of sand. They woke the rest and ate breakfast while discussing their situation. Terry consulted his mapper. "This sand bar couldn't extend more than four miles to the left of our current position or we would have encountered it on their way out." He looked up. But we have no idea of the shape it might take in that direction or what other problems we might encounter along the way." He waved negligently toward the shoreline on the far side. "We can see the other side from here."

Devin jumped in. "These are inflatable boats; they're not that heavy. The nine of us could easily carry them across that sort distance to the other side."

Linda added. "We could do it in three or four trips. Once for each boat and not more than two trips for the equipment."

"That seems to be our best option." Jacob replied.

Devin was left behind to watch over the rest of their equipment while the remaining eight carried one of the boats the third of a mile to the other side. Michael stayed with the first boat while the rest carried over all of their equipment. That took three trips. Finally all but Michael carried the other boat across. It was a little after lunch time when they finished.

They ate lunch and took a quick dip in the sea before repacking the boats and setting off. The dolphins were already waiting for them when they shoved off. Once they were convinced that it was safe, the kids were allowed to go into the water and soon they were spending as much time in the water playing with the dolphins as they spent in the boats.

The adults noticed that, even in the water, the previous pairings held. Madison and Michael always ended up in the water together and the same was true for Desmond and Sharon. Something about the way the dolphins behaved around them suggested that they were also aware of the pairings.

The islands were much more numerous on this side of the sand bar and, after three hours of travel, they had no trouble finding a place to stop for the night.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 9)**

The entire party awoke to the racket of several dolphins chattering at once. Up until now the dolphins had rarely made any noise at all, which made the current din even more remarkable.

"What's going on?" Jacob called out.

"I don't know." Devin replied. "It just started a couple of seconds ago."

"I'm getting the same emotions that I got when we were approaching the rocks beneath the falls." Jacob commented.

"Does that mean we should stay or leave?" Tonya asked.

"I think it means that our current actions put us in danger." Devin responded.

"Since our current actions consist of is sitting on this island, I suggest we pack up and leave." Jacob glanced out at the dolphins. "Right now."

"Quickly, pack up the boats." Terry called out. Immediately everyone began picking up their sleeping bags and whatever else was handy.

Linda was tossing her armload into the boat when she suddenly stopped and cried out. "Good lord, what is that?" She pointed beyond the other side of the boats. The beach thirty feet beyond the boats was moving, writhing.

"Load up now." Jacob called as he scooped up everything within reach and leaped towards the boats. The writhing section of beach also was moving rapidly toward the boats and the party.

A half beat later the rest of the party was doing the same thing. The writhing beach reached the boats at the same time as the party and began flowing up over the sides as the adults began pushing the boats into the water. The explorers jumped into the boats as the writhing beach that flowed over the sides of the boats resolved itself into hundreds of small sand colored crabs. Both boats were full of shrieks and cries as the explorers batted away the attacking crabs that had managed to get aboard.

As the boats drifted uncontrolled away from the island that now appeared to be one living writhing mass, the explorers continued to battle the crabs that had gotten aboard. The crabs nipped at any thing that came within their grasp as the explorers continued to knock them off of themselves and each other.

Madison jumped, yelping, when one of the crabs that had gotten under her floatation vest, nipped at her in a very tender area, and fell overboard. Ignoring the ones that were clinging to his fur, Michael jumped into the water to help her. Several of the dolphins had moved in close to the boats and were literally snatching the crabs out of the air as they were thrown overboard. While Madison thrashed around shrieking, Michael struggled to get her life vest off of her.

Meanwhile two of the dolphins were going after the crabs that were clinging to Michael's fur. They would lunge in, bite down on a crab, crushing its shell, and yank it away. Michael got Madison's vest off. There were three crabs under it, tearing at her thermal wet suit going after the tender flesh beneath. Michael knocked two of them off while one of the dolphins snatched the third one off. A moment later one of the dolphins had removed the last of the crabs that had been clinging to Michael's fur and clothing.

On the boats the battle continued. Safety vests and bits of clothing came off as the crabs continued to get inside them. Meanwhile Jacob and Devin concentrated their efforts on retrieving the crabs from among their equipment and tossing them to the dolphins. It turned out that the crabs were having difficulty getting through their fur.

Devin yelped as one of the crabs managed to get through his fur protection. He paused just long enough to remove the offending creature before returning to the task of digging them out of the equipment.

Linda reached out as Michael and Madison approached the boat then jumped with a shriek as one of the crabs got her in a sensitive spot. She snatched the offending crustacean and threw it away from her as hard as she could. Ten feet away, a dolphin leaped out of the water and snatched it out of the air. Linda meanwhile returned to helping Madison and Michael back into the boat.

For several more minutes, the party continued to eject the remaining crabs from their boats. Finally all of them had been rooted out and removed. The battle was over.

None of the non-leonine members of the party had been unscathed. They were all stripped down to a point that would have been just short of scandalous at poolside, because of the tiny animals' tendency to get under the clothing. They were all covered in dozens of small wounds where the crabs had taken tiny bites out of their skin. For Jacob and his sons, their fur had tended to protect them from the crabs for the most part.

They had also lost almost half of their food supply when several of the crabs had managed to get into one of their food lockers.

Both boats carried well stocked first aid kits and these were now put to use. All of the antibiotic and self adhesive bandages were used up in the treating of their wounds.

When they were finally able to pay attention to where they were, they discovered that they had not drifted far from the island where they had been attacked. They all glanced at the writhing surface of the island and with a collective shiver they turned the boats and set off in the direction that Terry said they should go.

By the end of the day they were tired, achy and ready to stop. They chose a likely looking island and pulled up on its beach. The dolphins could be seen out in the water circling the island. After a quick dinner they were soon all asleep except for Jacob and Terry, who both took first watch.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 10)**

The new day started uneventfully and after a light breakfast the explorers were once again on their way. After a little over an hour, Terry announced that they had just crossed their own out bound path and should reach their starting point in another two days

Late in the day they spotted two large irregular rounded shapes ahead. As they got closer the shapes resolved itself into a fallen column and a large pile of broken rock next to it. The explorers spent almost an hour and a half examining the fallen column and the island of broken rubble beside it.

The fallen column was four hundred feet across and about a thousand feet long. The large pile of rocks appeared to have broken free from the ceiling when the column had collapsed. From the amount of erosion on the ragged broken ends of the fallen column Terry guessed that it had been laying here for well over fifty thousand years. After mapping the location of the broken column they were once again on their way.

An hour later, after the broken column was lost in the mists behind them, they found a suitable island to beach for the night. Several in the party were showing signs of fatigue and the camp ended up being a little more sparse than usual.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 11)**

Right about the middle of the next day they could hear the roar of a distant falls off to the right. After glancing at his mapper, Terry informed them that they were now passing the high falls where they spent their first night.

About four hours later they stopped at a convenient island. All of the non-leonine members were showing signs of extreme fatigue. They beached the boats and began setting up their campsite.

Michael noticed that Madison was dragging even more than the others and insisted that she rest while he covered for her.

Madison curled up in her sleeping bag right after dinner. The rest of the party was feeling wrung out as well and lay down for the night a very short time later. Michael set up his sleeping bag right next to Madison's as usual. He was just a bit worried about her and decided that he would make sure that she didn't overexert herself again tomorrow.

As Jacob sat up watching over the sleeping explorers he thought about the last two days. It occurred to him that the normal members of the party had been a bit subdued last evening as well. He wondered if it was a reaction to the crab attack. That incident had been even more frightening than their run-in with that squid like creature days earlier.

Jacob glanced down at Linda, cuddled up in his arms fast asleep. She had been as frightened when Madison had fallen out of the boat as if it had been Michael or Sharon. He once again turned his attention to their surroundings as he watched dolphin fins appearing and disappearing out in the water.

_**Continued in Part 11**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	11. Infection

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****11 : Infection**

When Jacob came over to awaken Michael for his turn on watch he found him already awake. Madison was having a restless night and her restlessness had awakened Michael twice already. She would occasionally thrash around without ever waking up. Michael spent most of his watch, watching over Madison. Her restlessness was unusual and it worried him.

By the time Michael's watch was over Madison appeared to have finally quieted down. After waking Devin, Michael climbed into his bag and scooted up against Madison. He brushed her hair back from her eyes with his hand and said a quiet good night to her sleeping face before settling in. Soon he was fast asleep.

Devin had observed this with some amusement. He had been aware of the growing attachment between Madison and his brother. He liked Madison and thought those two fit well together. He sometimes wondered if they were going to end up like his parents. He knew that both sets of parents had been cautiously watching the developing relationship.

Devin then glanced over at Desmond and Sharon. He didn't quite know why, but he was positive that those two were destined for each other. He could almost feel it like a gossamer thread that joined them together.

With a quiet sigh he wondered if he would ever be as lucky as his two younger siblings seemed to have been.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 12)**

Michael woke up feeling almost overwhelmed by a feeling of _lethargy_ and a conviction that something was very wrong. He rolled over to find Madison curled up in a ball and shivering. He reached out to touch her face. She was burning up. He shook her. She didn't respond. He shook her a bit more strongly. "Madison." Still no response. "Madison!" Now he was really worried and looked over where his parents were bedded down.

Jacob was sitting up, roused by his son's rising emotions. Devin had stood up and was coming towards Michael.

"Dad, there's something wrong with Madison." Michael called out. "She's burning up and I can't wake her."

Jacob rose quickly to his feet. "Devin, wake up the rest." Jacob ordered as he rushed over to Michael and Madison. He took one quick look at Madison's face then pressed his hand against her forehead. Next he rushed over to the boats while Devin tried to wake up the others. Jacob returned with one of the first aid kits. A quick check showed that her temperature was hovering at 104.5 degrees. "We have to get this fever down immediately." Jacob picked Madison up and carried her over to the waters edge. Michael followed right behind him, _worry_ radiating off him like heat from a campfire. Jacob set Madison down in about three inches of water. She barely reacted to the coolness of the water. "We have to cool her down, get her temperature under a hundred, if possible." Jacob remarked as he gently washed her arms and legs.

"Dad, something's wrong with everyone." Devin called out. The rest of the party was stirring from their sleeping bags, but they were all moving slowly and Devin could clearly feel the _lethargy_ that was affecting each of them.

All three leonine males were immediately aware of that feeling of _lethargy_ coming from all of the others. It didn't take very long for them to realize that except for Jacob and his sons, they were all running low grade fevers. Madison however was much worse than the rest. Tonya also noticed that there was some inflammation around the injuries they had all received from the crabs. Tonya checked Madison over and found that two of the bites on her chest showed signs of massive infection.

Tonya opened the first aid chest and pulled out a one-shot emergency injectable antibiotic and used it on her daughter, then she did her best to drain and clean the badly infected wounds. While Tonya was treating Madison, Linda checked out everyone else then suggested that they should head for home as quickly as they could get the boats loaded.

Jacob placed Madison in the boat then he and his sons quickly scooped up their equipment and dumped it into the boats. Meanwhile Tonya and Linda used up most of the antibiotic cream from both first aid kits treating everyone's bites. After that, they all dragged themselves to the water, where the boats were waiting, and plopped down into them. Jacob told his sons to get into the second boat while he got into the first boat and checked Terry's mapper. Jacob then turned his boat to the required heading and started out, his sons following behind.

Tonya, Terry and Madison were in the boat with Devin and Michael. The rest were in the boat with Jacob.

Jacob took up the oars and applied them with vigor in order to increase his speed and his sons followed suit in the other boat. Jacob knew that there were a few emergency supplies and a spare first aid kit that they had left behind at their starting point. Almost two hours later they pulled the boats up onto the beach where they had started a week and a half ago.

The first thing they did once they had landed was to check Madison's condition. Her fever was down to 102 and she was conscious but very groggy and disoriented.

A check of the others showed that they were all still running about a temperature of around a hundred degrees

"We're still five days from home and there is no way we can make that trip in our present condition." Linda announced.

Jacob turned to his eldest son and handed him a small vile containing a sample that Tonya had taken from Madison's infected wounds. "Devin, go to the home tunnels. If you pace yourself, you should be able to make it in under a day and a half. Tell them what happened and give this to Rosa. She will know what to do." As Devin ran up into the tunnel Jacob turned to Michael. "Help me get the camp setup. We have to get everyone bedded down so they can rest."

Thirty minutes later they had a camp setup and everyone tucked away in their sleeping bags.

Michael was hovering over Madison. Jacob could feel his son's _anxiety_ and sympathized with him. Madison was still running a high fever, though the antibiotics seem to have helped some. At least she seemed to be barely aware of her surroundings. The rest of the party quickly drifted off to sleep.

Jacob was holding Linda and they were talking quietly about the trip and their current problem.

"It never occurred to me that we could run into anything like this." Linda commented. "It must have been some type of bacteria that lives on the claws of those crabs." She shook her head. "But why is Madison so much worse off than the rest of us?"

Jacob shook his head. "I don't know. The only thing I can think of, that was different, is that she fell into the water during the crab attack." He shrugged. "Maybe that had something to do with it.

She sighed. "I'm just glad that you and the boys were not affected."

Jacob glanced over at Michael, _worry_ still radiating strongly from him, as he was holding Madison and talking quietly to her. "I wouldn't say we are totally unaffected."

Linda glanced over at Michael and Madison. "What are we going to do about those two?" She shook her head. "They're so young to be so wrapped up in each other."

Jacob chuckled. "By the time we were that age, it was already a forgone conclusion. We were both way too young for such a relationship and we turned out just fine." He kissed her cheek. "Their relationship hasn't progressed near as far as ours had at that age. We've still got time, and we've raised a crop of good kids."

"You're right but I'm a mother, I'm supposed to worry about things like that." She nudged him in the ribs. "You're his father; you're probably rooting for him." She looked over at the other two kids. "What about Sharon and Desmond?"

Jacob smiled. "Those two remind me even more of us than Michael and Madison. Those two are the ones that I think we will have to keep our eyes on. The attachment between them is just as strong as Michael and Madison, and they're over a year younger." He shook his head. "If anyone's going to jump the gun, it will be those two."

"At least Terry and Tonya seem to be handling it OK." Linda remarked. I was talking to Tonya a couple of days ago and she was aware of the developing relationships."

"Terry and I were discussing it three or four days ago. He said that he was unsure about it at first but he has become quite fond of both Michael and Sharon so he is not opposed to it, though he too thinks they may be a bit young."

Linda looked over at Terry and Tonya pressed as close together as two people could be while in separate sleeping bags. "I must confess, I like their family a lot and I wouldn't mind having them become part of our family." She paused a half second then brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Did I really just say that?"

Jacob chuckled. "Now who's jumping the gun?"

She shook her head. "It must be the fever."

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 13)**

By the next morning everyone was feeling pretty much the same. Though everyone was dragging, with the exception of Madison who was still mostly out of it, they were all relatively functional.

Around mid-day Michael got very worried when Madison's temperature spiked again and she slipped back into simi-consciousness. Linda used the emergency injectable antibiotic from the other first aid kit on her friend's daughter. Then she and Tonya drained as much of the infection as they could from the two badly infected wounds on Madison's chest. After that was accomplished, Tonya treated all of her wounds with the last of the topical antibiotic cream.

After they had done all they could for Madison, they broke out the spare first aid kit from the reserve stash that had been left behind and treated everyone else's injuries. By the time that was done, Jacob had prepared lunch for them.

A few hours after lunch Madison again began to rouse from her fever induced stupor. This time she seemed a bit more alert. Michael's relief was obvious. Throughout the rest of the day, Michael refused to go very far from Madison's side and was very conscientious about watching over her, making sure she was well cared for.

For the rest of the party, the situation remained unchanged. They all felt like they were coming down with a low grade flu.

Desmond and Sharon appeared to rally halfway through the day and were soon playing at the water's edge. By evening however Desmond had lost ground and was feeling wrung out like the rest. Sharon seemed to be completely cured; however she remained with Desmond and seemed determined to take care of him.

During dinner Jacob informed the rest of the party that Devin was on his way back and though still _worried_ he was also feeling _hopeful_.

A couple of hours later Jacob was sitting with his back against the cavern's rock wall, Linda dozing fitfully while firmly embraced in his arms. He glanced around at the rest of the party. Eight feet away Tonya was sound asleep, Terry practically molded up against her back. Over by the boats, Desmond was sound asleep and Sharon was sitting up next to him stroking is hair as she was watching over him. Over by the camping heater, Michael was sitting up with his back resting against a pile of camping and climbing gear. Madison was lying beside him with her head pillowed on his lap and they were quietly talking.

Jacob chuckled at the picture.

Terry, who had not been able to fall asleep, looked up at Jacob. "What is it that amuses you?"

"I was just noticing the way this party has become paired off." Jacob responded. "Linda and I were talking about that last night.

Terry rose up on one elbow and looked around, taking in the same scene Jacob had been observing. He shook his head. "So young." He voiced quietly then looked back at Jacob. "I'd already noticed the way they had begun pairing up months ago. Tonya told me that it had been happening longer than that. But it seems to have intensified significantly during this trip." He shook his head. "They're all so terribly young to be so much involved. It worries me just a bit." He looked back at Jacob, his eyes reflecting his sincerity. "But I will tell you, I have no problems at all with who they have chosen to become so interested in." He looked down at his wife's sleeping form. "I know Tonya feels the same way about it as I do. We both feel very close to your family . . . and I will admit that the concept of our families becoming joined through our kids has occurred to us. But I didn't expect it to start happening this soon." After a moment, he looked back up at Jacob. "Whew! That is not the kinda thing I normally talk to others about." He shook his head ruefully and Jacob could feel a bit of _embarrassment_ coming from him. "Must be the fever talking. I think I'd better go to sleep before I start talking like an emotional girl." He lay back down and shifted in close against Tonya.

Jacob merely smiled as he continued to watch over both families. He continued contemplating what Terry had said. It was interesting how both sets of parents had been thinking along the same lines where their children were concerned.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 14)**

Another morning and for the most part things remained unchanged. Sharon was apparently fully cured. Madison's fever however had risen a bit, though the two infected injuries were looking much better.

Because of the resurging fever, Tonya decided to use the last emergency antibiotic injection on her. By the time breakfast was ready, an hour later, Madison was already showing improvement. By lunch time she seemed to be completely recovered.

Right about the time they were finishing their lunch, Devin returned , heavily winded but relieved to find everyone still OK. He was carrying a light backpack which he immediately whipped off and opened.

Inside were some packages of pills and about twenty of the same emergency injectable antibiotics that they had been giving Madison. After taking time to regain his breath, Devin told them what Rosa's daughter, Teresa, had told him.

"Teresa said that what you got was a bacteria infection from those crab bites. She said that it is a modified strain and our immune systems are having trouble adapting to it. Those that are sick should take three of these injections, one injection every twelve hours. She also said that you should all be feeling fine by the time you should take the third one but take it anyway to prevent relapse."

After a few seconds he continued. "The pills are potassium and vitamins. Teresa said to take two of each with every meal. A work party is on its way to help carry everything back. They should be here in four days. She also said that we are to stay put and concentrate on recovering our health 'til the work party gets here."

Jacob passed out the pills to everyone while Tonya gave the first injection to Terry, Desmond, Linda and herself since they were the only ones that still felt ill.

Jacob and his sons spent the evening breaking down and packing away the two boats. Madison tidied and packed away the climbing equipment. Linda, Tonya, Terry and Desmond stretched out and spent the afternoon sleeping. Sharon spent most of the afternoon watching over Desmond as he slept.

Jacob also made a quick assessment of their supplies. All of the food that had been in one of the boats had been ruined by the crabs. They still had enough food for the next four days, by dipping into the emergency reserve that they had left stored on the beach, but that would not leave them enough food for the five day trip back to the main tunnels. Their medical supplies were nearly depleted. Despite spending nearly twice as long on the boats as they had estimated, there was still enough fuel left to keep both the camp heaters going for the next four days. Over all they were in fairly good shape. Terry's insistence that they bring three times as much in supplies as they had expected to need had paid off big time.

_**Continued in Part 12**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	12. Closer

**Friends**_  
By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter ****1****2 : Closer**

Jacob glanced down at Linda, cradled against his side, his left arm wrapped protectively around her, then his gaze shifted over to Sharon, sitting guard over a sleeping Desmond, then over to Madison and Michael, sitting huddled together close to the water over by the falls, then he glanced at Terry and Tonya dozing a few yards away beside the camp heater, and finally he glanced at Devin, standing by the water's edge looking out at the Dolphin Sea, deep in his own somber thoughts. This trip had bonded the two families closer together than he would have thought possible. And despite the two dangerous encounters, it was probably the most fun he and his family had had in a very long time. Even the two battles had been exhilarating (after the fact).

Normally Jacob had to be always on guard against the damage that his claws and his strength could cause. During the squid attack he and his sons had given free reign to the ferocity and rage of their beast, and they had all three done some serious damage to that thing. There had been something so satisfying about being able to cut loose and use his strength and his claws to help drive off that monster. He had also noticed similar reactions in both his sons during and immediately after the attack. They had been ecstatic over their victory.

At one point, while he had been attacking one of the tentacles, Jacob had caught a glimpse of Terry and Tonya's faces as well as felt their emotions as they witnessed the damage he and his sons had wrought on that creature. They had both been startled, amazed and even a bit frightened by that other side of their leonine companions. He found himself wondering about it. Should he be worried about the feelings and the destructive potential that the battle had brought out in his sons and himself. Jacob glanced again at his oldest son who was staring a bit moodily out to sea. Devin in particular had been affected by the aftermath and what he had discovered within himself, becoming a bit more subdued since that incident. Jacob raised his right hand and frowned worriedly as he studied his claws while slowly curling and uncurling his fingers. Then he became aware of scrutiny from another and looked over to see Terry watching him.

"You've never had to use those as a weapon before have you?" Terry remarked as he also looked at those claws.

Jacob shook his head. "No . . . though I have always had to be conscious of their potential for harm. I can't count the number of times I've used them as very handy tools. But this was the first time I have intentionally used them as a weapon." He shook his head. "A couple of years ago my brother was forced to use his claws to defend himself but I never have needed to. I was able to use my appearance to scare the terrorist into . . ." He paused a moment as he continued to study his claws. "I don't know which bothers me the most; the sheer amount of damage that they can inflict; or the exhilarating rush that I got from using them to destroy." He looked over at Terry expecting some form of disapproval and found only acceptance.

Terry responded to Jacob's uncertain look. "I can feel nothing but respect and admiration for you and your sons. Seeing you three in action against those tentacles, ripping them to shreds, and the wild rage in your eyes; it was a frightening thing to witness. Afterwards, I realized that you guys have to live with your destructive potential every single day. One look at your family illustrates to me how well you have managed." He glanced over at Michael and Madison. "I can not think of anyone I would rather have watching over my little girl than Michael."

Jacob lowered the hand he had been studying. The dark worry that had just been threatening to overtake him evaporated. If Terry could see what he had seen during that battle and still accept Jacob and his sons then Jacob could accept himself as well. Soon he was again thinking about how much fun the last two weeks had been.

~ o ~

By dinner time everyone was feeling much better and they were all excitedly discussing the various aspects of their recent adventure. Even the two battles were eagerly discussed as exciting adventures. At one point, the youngsters were comparing how many crab bites they got (Sharon won). The general consensus was that everyone had really enjoyed themselves in spite of the problems they had encountered.

Terry was already talking about returning here again next year with a larger and better equipped expedition. He wanted to try to follow and map the entire shoreline of the Dolphin Sea as well as all of the tributaries that emptied into this astounding place. In the end he hoped to create a complete map of the cavern itself and all the islands that dotted the Dolphin Sea.

Another round of injections was administered just before they settled in for the night. The sleeping bag arrangements followed the now well established pattern, which amused the adults as well as giving them a lot to think about.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 15)**

Morning arrived to find everyone feeling in much better health. After a large breakfast the third injection was given out per Doctor Teresa's instructions. Then all the younger ones asked to go into the water and play with the dolphins, which had continued to hang around. Permission was given and soon they were in the water splashing each other and hitching high speed rides with the dolphins. It didn't take long before the adults came out into the water to join the fun.

Lunch was practically wolfed down so that they could all go back out into the water.

Though they were no longer feeling sick, the ones that had been ill did tire out a bit quicker and they decided to eat an early dinner and retire immediately afterward.

Once again Devin stood staring out to sea and brooding. Jacob took a step toward his son when he felt Terry's hand upon his shoulder. "Let me. As an outsider without vested family interest, my thoughts about his worries might carry more weight." Terry then walked over to stand next to Devin. After a couple of minutes of silence Terry began to speak.

As the two of them talked, Jacob could feel Devin's mood begin to shift and the _melancholy_ slowly faded away. Terry had been right. Sometimes advice was more effective when it came from an outsider or, in this case, a good friend.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 16)**

By the next morning everyone was back up to full health. The youngsters went exploring and found a group of hollowed out shallow caves behind the waterfall. They amused themselves for a while diving through the waterfall from those shallow caves. The dolphins were always around to give them a ride back to the shore. Once Desmond hit the water too flat and it knocked the wind out of him. Two of the dolphins came up under him and supported him while he recovered.

After lunch Desmond, Sharon and Devin were out in the water engaged in racing each other on dolphin back while their parents sat on the edge of the beach and cheered them on.

Terry glanced over at Tonya and saw that she was unconsciously handling her purple crystal necklace. He had noticed that she often played with or stroked the purple crystal around her neck while watching the children or when they were deep in discussions about serious subjects or, especially, when romantic subjects came up.

Madison and Michael sat in the dimly lit recess of one of those shallow caves behind the waterfall and watched the multiple colors from the great cavern's ceiling play across the falling water. It felt like they were all alone in their own private little world here. Madison had cuddled up against Michael for warmth (and because she liked having his arms around her).

She felt his cheek brush hers and turned her head to find him looking back at her, smiling. There was a soft glow in his eyes that she had never noticed before. That smile and those eyes stirred something inside her, making her happy and nervous at the same time.

Slowly, hesitantly they leaned in toward each other. Then their lips met. There was a sweet innocence in that first kiss as Madison felt a warm tingle spread through her. Michael had felt her reaction and a similar answering feeling within himself. They separated, blushing as a hint of embarrassment mixed in with the warmth that the kiss had generated in them both.

Michael jumped up and challenged Madison to a race, then dived through the waterfall. Madison jumped up and dived through right behind him.

~ o ~

Jacob looked up towards the waterfall.

Sensing the unusual combination of emotions, many of them slightly nostalgic in nature, playing through her husband, Linda looked up at Jacob and noticed the hint of a sparkle in his eyes. "What is it?" She asked.

Jacob turned to look at Linda. "Remember the first time we kissed?" He said quietly.

"I remember how sweet it felt and how surprised and embarrassed we both felt afterward." She laughed then glanced at the waterfall as Michael burst from the falls in a graceful arching dive to be followed a half second later by Madison. "Oh, I see." Then she sighed and leaned into his embrace. "We're going to have to keep a closer eye on those two."

Tonya had notice the exchange between Jacob and Linda. Jacob felt her _curiosity_ and commented to her while nodding in the direction of the falls. "Michael and Madison just experienced the 'first kiss'."

"Oh." Tonya remarked as her gaze shifted to the two in question. "I guess it was bound to happen, considering how things have been going between them." Tonya took hold of Terry's hand, a sparkle in her eyes. "Terry may not have been my 'first kiss', but I sure remember the first time he kissed me."

Soon Michael and Madison had joined in the dolphin races. A little while later the parents joined the fun and it soon turned into a game of tag on dolphin back. The dolphins had become very adept at knowing which way the people they were pulling wanted to go, and they seemed to be enjoying the game as much as the explorers.

As the evening wore on the youngsters finally came out of the water, happy and exhausted. Dinner was a boisterous affair as the various races and games that they had been playing were thoroughly discussed. Twice Tonya saw Michael and Madison look at each other and blush. It wasn't Michael's blushing that surprised her as much as the fact that she could see it through the fur.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 17)**

Terry spent most of the next morning following the beach as far as he could and mapping the entire area as completely as possible. Tonya, Linda and Jacob made sure that everything was properly packed away for the return trip to the home tunnels then spent some time swimming near the falls and checking out the cavern wall on the other side of the falls.

Michael and Madison ended up in one of the caves behind the waterfall. They spent the time talking and cuddling and occasionally stealing a kiss.

At mid-day Jacob called everyone in for lunch. Michael and Madison didn't respond and Jacob resorted to projecting an insistent emotional barb at Michael and got an _embarrassed_ response. A few seconds later Madison and Michael appeared from behind the falls. There was a definite hint of pink in Madison's face and, though far less obvious, the same was true of Michael.

They both had to endure a bit of mild teasing from the others as a result of their delayed arrival for lunch.

After lunch everyone spent a large part of the afternoon in the water with the dolphins. Tonya was able to spot and categorize at least a dozen other types of small fish found in the sea near their location. She even managed to catch a few with the help of the dolphins and their dinners ended up being quite excellent with the addition of the fish . . . especially after twenty-two days of prepackaged trail food.

During that night, after all the children were asleep, Tonya and Terry took their sleeping bags and found their way to one of the shallow caves behind he waterfall. They opened up both sleeping bags and joined them together into one sleeping bag for two then they engaged in a heavy make-out session. Afterward they both dozed off together to the soothing roar of the waterfall combined with their own feelings of extreme contentment.

They finally woke up and made their way back to the camp area, to be met by a knowing smile from Devin, just a few hours before the others began to wake up.

~ x x x x x ~

**(Day 18)**

The new day began with everyone taking a quick dip in the sea and a shower under the waterfall before breakfast. They had discovered an area near the far end of the waterfall where there was a rocky shelf about three feet below the water's surface. A perfect place to take a shower.

At lunch Sharon and Desmond were talking about the possibility of going to the same junior high school during the coming fall. They spent most of their lunch making plans. Though they would be in different grades they would still be able to see each other between classes and during lunch. Both sets of parents were amused by the discussion. It reminded Terry and Tonya of their teenage years before they had met in college.

After lunch they all returned to the water and the companionship of the dolphins. They all knew that they would be heading home in the next day or two and they wanted to spend as much time with their new friends as possible. The dolphins seemed to be aware that their time with the group of explorers was limited and were also making the most of their time together.

~ o ~

The ten person relief party finally arrived late in the afternoon on day eighteen. They were very surprised to find all the explorers in the water, apparently playing with what turned out to be slightly undersized albino dolphins.

A short while later, they were all sitting around the two camp heaters and feasting on a fine dinner of fish that Jacob and the dolphins had supplied. During this time they were entertained by a fairly complete outline of the Dolphin Sea adventure. The battle with the 'sea monster' in particular drew many cries and gasps from the enthralled audience.

That evening was spent hearing all the news about what had been happening in the world Above while they had been gone. The biggest news was that Brigit O'Donnall had just completed a brand new story and had presented the original, beautifully hand written, manuscript to Catherine and Vincent as a gift. That hand written manuscript was the story of Catherine and Vincent from the year they first met through to the aftermath of the World Trade Center collapse. And, they were told, it was the only existing copy. Brigit also had informed them that her Last Will and Testament granted control of all her copyrights and royalties to the Wells-Chandler Foundation after she was gone. This news caused quite a stir among the explorers.

"Wouldn't that kind of information be very dangerous to have lying around?" Inquired Tonya. She knew some of the story of Vincent and Catherine. "If the wrong person got hold of that book it could endanger both Vincent's family and the tunnel community."

"The Manuscript is being stored in Father's library." Replied one of the relief party members. Only those who are from Below and those who are trusted helpers will have access to it. It will be safe there."

A second relief party member added. "I heard that the story is written in such a way as to obscure the existence of the tunnel community. We are described as being safely hidden away from the prying eyes of the rest of the world. That could be anywhere, even an abandoned building."

Tonya was looking forward to her chance to read the manuscript, both because she was curious about the subject and because Brigit o'Donnell was one of her favorite authors.

Finally the discussion wound down and everyone bedded down for the night.

~ o ~

The next morning they packed up what little still remained to be packed and they all headed back home. The five day trip was filled with the explorer's tales of adventures and discoveries.

Everyone in the relief group noticed how close Michael and Madison had become. It was also noticed that Desmond and Sharon could usually be seen walking hand in hand with each other. The way the youngsters set up their sleeping bags at night was also noticed by everyone.

These observations generated a lot of quiet exchanges of comments and opinions, especially after the second night they all spent together. There were several discrete questions addressed to the two sets of parents as well. They acknowledged the relationships and expressed no serious concern about them, which was considered enough to set the matter to rest as far as everyone else was concerned.

That was just the way things were in the tunnel community. Everyone lived to their own drumbeat and they respected the feelings and lifestyles of others.

~ o ~

The explorers arrived at the community dining chamber just past lunchtime to be greeted by a massive welcome home party. The entire community was aware of their approach and had delayed lunch until they had arrived. The kitchen had prepared a very sumptuous meal for the occasion.

The resultant party turned into a rather festive event. Tales of adventure were told and eagerly listened to. The five youngsters were the envy of their peers.

After the big lunch celebration, Teresa hauled all of the returned explorers to the tunnel infirmary and gave them each a thorough examination. She grudgingly admitted that they all appeared to be in good health in spite of their ordeals.

~ o ~

That evening a second family celebration was held Above in the family brownstone.

After dinner Michael and Madison ended up on the divan in the rooftop garden holding each other close and gazing up at the clear evening sky. They talked a lot about their recent adventure and they talked about their feelings toward each other. And they kissed, often.

In the second floor library, Desmond and Sharon sat squeezed together in an oversized chair and listened to some currently popular music. There was no kissing and they talked very little.

Downstairs in the parlor, the adults talked about the recent adventure, the new Brigit O'Donnell manuscript, and the budding relationships of the four youngsters.

Catherine addressed her remarks to Terry and Tonya. "As it is, we already tend to think of all of you as members of our family. Madison and Desmond are both great kids and I find it most appropriate that your children might one day make the familial like relationship official."

"Dear heart, did anyone ever tell you that you talk like a lawyer?" Vincent chuckled as he patted Catherine's hand then added his opinion. "As it stands, it already makes for a good story. The attachment those four have formed is very strong, I can feel it even now, and I suspect that the end is already a forgone conclusion."

"Now who's talking like a lawyer?" Catherine laughed then kissed Vincent on the cheek. "You've been hanging around me too much, I'm afraid."

Tonya grinned at them as she responded. "I hope you're right. I like the idea . . . I just hope we can keep things from going too far too soon."

Catherine laughed as she looked over at Jacob and Linda. "Didn't you know? That's what makes parenting so interesting as well as explaining the gray hairs."

**_THE END (For Now)_**

_**A/N: ** There is a sequel floating around in my head (titled **Growing up**) but it will take a lot of work before it is ready to post._**_  
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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


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